


At Ease

by queerfindings



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Angst and Porn, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Multi, Other, Sexual Frustration, mostly canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-09-19
Packaged: 2018-05-25 00:19:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 26,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6172483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queerfindings/pseuds/queerfindings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I know that it’s been rough,<br/>It shows in your reflection,<br/>You’ve fallen out of touch,<br/>Got lost along the way,<br/>I know it’s not enough,<br/>But these things they all get better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Oh God please be nice.

“Knight Magnolia?” Her head lifted sharply at the mention of her full name, and the Initiate behind her winced. “I- was that right, Ma’am? I apologize.” 

“Nobody calls me that, Maggie is fine.” 

“Ma’am.” The young man, barely thirteen if her guess was correct, clapped his heels together and saluted sharply. “I’m to report to you and Paladin Danse, if you please, Knight Maggie, for your field op today.” 

“No one mentioned it to me,” she mused, and twisted around to meet Danse with an accusing look as he came around the corner suited up. His gaze slid between them, and his brows creased. 

“Perhaps my assumption was hastily made,” he commented, cleared his throat a little, and pressed on more certainly. “Elder Maxson spoke to me this morning, he wishes us to show the Initiate here how it’s done, so to speak. He admires our teamwork. Initiate Ryland is eager to learn but easily distracted, and he has a tendency to be over enthusiastic…and charge off before properly assessing the situation.” He bit the inside of his lip to keep the smile off his face, that much Maggie could tell, and she scowled at the- accurate- assessment of her skills. When she looked down at the Initiate he grinned hopefully at her. 

“If we run in two different directions he can’t catch both of us, and I’m the easier target since I’m still slow in all this.”

“Knight!” 

“That’s the Paladin voice, kid, better mind it when he uses it in the field,” she laughed, and ducked the brim of his hat down. Ryland fixed it with a laugh that he tried to choke on when Danse scowled at him. 

“Sorry Paladin,” he mumbled.

“Speak up, he’s not that scary. And I’ll let you in on a secret, despite his name he really can NOT dance.” 

“I think that’s enough, Knight Magnolia,” Danse retorted, and dropped off the side of the Prydwen before she could retort. She muttered a few curses under her breath, but scooped the Initiate up and took the leap herself. Both of them landed with an exuberant whoop, leaving the Initiate more excited than ever about the prospect of working with them. Danse rolled his eyes a little, but she swore she saw the edge of a smile on his face as he gave the order to move out. They chattered back and forth the first hour, but after that the young man began to lag a little, and chose to conserve energy. By one in the afternoon there had been little excitement aside from a feral or two, and he was bright red, puffing, and sweaty. Maggie paused for a drink, and handed the canteen down to the boy as Danse crowded her shoulder to get a look at the map on her Pip Boy. 

“Do you think we’ll make it to the market before dark, Paladin?”

“Yes, but then we would be exposed to the ghouls in darkness. I do not like those odds, especially with the Initiate.” 

“Why don’t you two keep pace, Paladin, and I will scout ahead for suitable shelter to spend the night.” Danse gave her an approving look and she felt a little flush creep up that had nothing to do with the day’s heat. 

“As you said, Knight.” He turned to Ryland then. “The first rule of small unit tactics is stick together, but at times it is permissible to send a scout ahead, providing they have a flare gun, and that the remaining members are suitably armed.” He lifted his plasma rifle, and Initiate Ryland produced a similar pistol from his hip holster. Maggie left them talking about the finer points of plasma and pressed on with a smile. For such a stern man Paladin Danse was bordering on paternal with the young recruit, it warmed her heart…as well as some other part of her that had been long neglected. She examined that urge closely as she kept an eye on the abandoned buildings on either side of her. True, Danse was attractive, in a broody sort of way. True, his authoritative voice made her knees a little weak. True, she was absolutely dying to see what he looked like out of his power armor. They’d been on a few missions together so far and she had only caught a glimpse or two. It was strange, to even think of another man after Nate, but that hurt was an old one now. Ever practical, he’d always said about her. Growls ahead drew her out of her thoughts, and she readied her weapon. 

Danse saw the red flare go up, and took off at a run, weapon in hand. Ryland did a good job of keeping up, to his credit, but as they drew closer to the gun fire and the cursing coming out in the high pitch of pain, he suddenly stopped to tree the boy in a clear building. 

“Hide here and do not come out until I or Knight Maggie come to get you. That is an order, Initiate.” The boy nodded, and Danse left him there to head for the source of the commotion once more. He put a short burst of laser through four ferals before he found Maggie. She was pinned behind a Raider barricade with two dead human bodies and three more feral ghouls, unmoving, and frantically fumbling with her rifle Justice. He gave her suppressing fire until she was up again, and they quickly dispatched the rest of the pack. In the sudden silence he realized how hard his heart beat as he ran to her. “Knight, where are you hit?” 

“There were Raiders first, one of the fuckers dented my helmet. I can’t see.” Her voice came through the helmet, and not their radios. “I mean, I can through the visor but- God damn it!” She threw her weapon down to fumble at her helmet uselessly. He caught her arms and pulled them away. 

“Knight! Pull yourself together!” He barked, the only thing he could think to do under the circumstances. She went still, and he took the time to examine the damage. “It looks like the seal was damaged, we’ll have to return to the Prydwen.”

“What about Initiate Ryland- oh God where is he?” She lunged to her feet, and he followed. 

“Safe. Let’s go, I’ll radio for another Brother to finish our assignment, and send you home on a vertibird.” 

“But…it’s our mission,” Maggie said plaintively, though her voice probably didn’t carry through the helmet. She could hardly see Danse through the smudged visor that crackled occasionally. He helped her back up the road a ways, where Initiate Ryland met them at the door of an abandoned house. She did not catch the rest of the conversation, but a moment later he went outside to shoot a red flare to the sky. She moaned and winced. Why did he have to call it an emergency? 

On board the Prydwen it took two Scribes to get the helmet off her head, and she came under a lecture to rival the Paladin from Proctor Ingram. She made her apologies, promised the woman a round of drinks, and headed for the medic’s, the stray thought crossing her mind that Danse would be disappointed if he knew she hadn’t gone to get checked out at the first opportunity. Besides that her head was pounding and she hadn’t even realized how badly her twisted ankle hurt until she was out of the power armor.

The first time it happened was a direct result of attempting to get to know the crew of the Prydwen. Introduce yourself, Maxson told her. Get friendly, Maxson told her. And truly it stood to reason that respect would come faster if Maggie could find her place in the ranks. So it came to be that she was in a corner of the main decks with two Initiates and a Scribe, all attempting to talk down how drunk they were. Maggie was feeling pleasantly warm, though she knew if she tried to stand it would likely end on the caged steel beneath her boots, as it had with Initiate Elyssa, who was keeled over still clutching her bottle and giggling to herself. Her Brother Joshua took it upon himself to join her, but reached over to nudge Scribe Benjamin’s knee with a smirk. 

“Oh, right,” Benjamin cleared his throat. “Knight Maggie.”

“S’my name.”

“If I may speak freely, I know you haven’t gotten the warmest welcome here. I’d think it was just fine if we could all serve under you…but the thing is, some of the Initiates have been talking. Turns out most of them are just sore you haven’t gone through your…let’s call it some friendly hazing.” That perked Maggie’s interest. She was well familiar with the rites of passage many groups had in place, especially here it seemed. The Brotherhood reminded her of her days in the army, in fact, sometimes walking through the decks felt like coming home. She tossed back the rest of her bottle and coughed through the burn in her chest. God they made shit strong in the Commonwealth. Though, to stomach some of the things in the Commonwealth she usually had to be half tanked. 

“Yeah, makes us feel like family you know,” Elyssa piped up, adding a belated ‘Knight’ to the end of her sentence. She tilted sideways onto Joshua’s shoulder and slanted her gaze up at her. 

“I don’t know, maybe she just wants to figure things out first,” Joshua expressed his doubts, and that settled it. Maggie got to her feet, did her best not to weave, and demanded to know what she had to do. 

That was how, five minutes later, she found herself in the spacious bays where the power armor was kept and crafted. The object of her dare had just stepped out of the armor most of the lower ranks swore he lived in. Paladin Danse stretched widely, broad shoulders straining the smooth fabric of his jumpsuit. Maggie licked her lips, and reached out to smack him on the ass firmly. And that was how she attained a black eye that Scribe Benjamin helped her tend while the other two laughed until they were reduced to a heap of limbs on the floor. Though Maggie wouldn’t realize she’d been had until the next morning, she still scowled a little to herself as she debated whether the swelling and rapidly forming bruise was worth wasting a Stimpack on. There was no denying the man was a curiosity, she’d been dying to see him out of power armor since they met at the police station, but what she couldn’t seem to get out of her mind was the way the spandex and canvas hugged every inch of the nicest ass she’d laid eyes- and hands- on in two hundred years. 

The large bruise under her eye did absolutely nothing for her hangover, but the morning only got worse when Maxson gave orders that she was to be sent on a scouting mission with-

“Soldier.” She winced as she turned to see the stone faced Paladin. 

“Sir,” she bobbed a greeting, made more difficult by the fact she still wasn’t used to wearing an entire tank. The heavy footfalls of her companion echoed in her aching skull as they made their way to one of the vertibirds. At least the flight was spent in silence. Maggie realized belatedly she had forgotten a hair tie at the Prydwen, and was reduced to near blindness by her whipping hair. She finally shook most of it out of the way and jammed her helmet into place. Now she could aim his mini gun properly, but it also gave Danse access to her via their radios. Between sporadic bursts of gunfire there was the static pop of signals as he almost spoke, but thought better of it. Finally Danse broke the silence with a sigh.

“If I may be frank, Soldier, I regret striking you but what were you thinking? You startled me.”

“Just had to see if it felt as good as it looked.” The words were out before she thought. No, no this was not Deacon or Hancock, whose reactions would likely have been just as crude. In keeping with the way the morning was going, the other man turned to her, face hidden behind the helmet, though she could practically feel the expression Danse was giving her. She heaved a breath and shook her head. “I…apologize, Paladin. That was inappropriate. And I was drinking last night. New army, I guess, if you’re all sober all the time. Please try to forget about it.”

“Scribe Benjamin is quite persuasive.” When Maggie looked over at him he was back to steering, calm and collected as he always seemed to be. 

“You knew. And you still hit me.”

“Soldier, you can’t slap a man’s ass and not expect some retaliation. Though, ah, if I had realized it was you I might have softened the blow some.” A short chuckle softened his words, and made Maggie determined to make the man laugh again as the sound wrapped her in knots. “For what it is worth I think you have a lot of potential, you need to bond with the crew. That probably did it.”

“What about bonding with you?”

“Focus on the ground. Super Mutants sighted ahead.” They fell to silence that was a bit more companionable. She knew they were already at least on good terms, several weeks of constant travel together had made sure of that. Danse was serious at best, demanding at worst, but every so often was a glimpse of dry humor or the hint of a smile. Maggie was determined to pry the man out of his armor- literally, if not figuratively- if it killed her. Paladin Danse turned slightly when she chuckled to herself, but did not comment. 

It was nearly a month before the second incident happened. They clambered through the ruins of an abandoned church, a group of feral ghouls practically on their heels. Both soldiers shed their power armor in favor of stealth, there were too many for even their superior firepower. Danse jumped for the edge of the floor above them, caught it, and came down again with an alarmingly loud thump as his bad arm gave out under strain. Slavering growls sounded in the next room over. Danse jumped again. This time Maggie grabbed his ass with both hands and shoved him up. The Paladin rolled over into the darkness to make room in the cramped space for Maggie, who made it up just in time. She rolled too, until they were wedged as far into the shadows as they could get. There they stayed, barely breathing, as the creatures beneath them hunted about for their meal. Finally the shuffling steps moved away, but it was only when their smell had faded too that Maggie realized they were nose to nose. Also, what had caught her to keep her from falling back was her superior’s hands. Suddenly she couldn’t breathe for an entirely different reason, one that had her thinking of ferals and dead brahmin and the toothless trader woman- anything to keep her body from responding to the heat at her front. It was not a successful endeavor. As he shifted her hips lifted instinctively. Danse’s breath quickened lightly. Maggie wondered about taking her chances with the ghouls below as mortification flooded her.

“Keep your hand on my ass much longer, I’ll take it as an invitation,” she tried to lighten the air with a joke that fell flat. 

“Fair play,” Danse rumbled. “You couldn’t have hoisted me by my straps?” 

“I’m sorry I was focused on saving that perky little butt.” The moment defused abruptly, and she was released to lay flat on her back. Maggie let out a shaky laugh and closed her eyes as relief turned her limbs to jello momentarily. Danse joined her, and before they knew it both of them were laughing so hard tears rolled from their eyes. It was how the Brotherhood found them moments later as they finished clearing the building. The lead Knight ascertained that they were fine, if with a skeptical tone as they wiped their eyes, and Maggie escorted Paladin Danse out to the vertibird to find a Stimpack. When had seeing the man bleed become such a punch in the chest? Her brows furrowed as she jammed the Stimpack into Danse’s arm, eyes on his. “I’m sorry, Paladin,” she murmured. “I should have obeyed your order to stay close. This was my fault.” Danse shook his head slowly. 

“You’ve got the makings of a fine soldier, if you learn to listen. But everyone has it happen once. You run off half cocked, or disregard a command, and someone gets injured because of it. We need to work as a team, Soldier. Is that clear now?” 

“Yes Paladin.” Maggie dipped her head in a nod, made sure the Stimpack did its job, and then they went to find their armor again. 

On the Prydwen once more, Maggie stood on the fore-deck and stared out over the Commonwealth below. The sun was just beginning its descent, and everything was splashed red and gold. The ruined city took her breath away. She glanced over her shoulder as the door behind her closed, and grinned at Danse as he joined her. She couldn’t resist a light jab. 

“My God, twice in one day I see you out of your armor. People are going to talk- did you hear, Paladin Danse is a human being under all that junk.” 

“You mind your tone when referring to my power armor, Soldier,” Danse responded. He tried to be stern, but the corners of his mouth curled against his will. “My armor has been around since before you were born.” 

“Doubt it,” Maggie snorted, and the smile abruptly faded from her lips. She leaned on the railing and looked out over what had once been the Boston Airport. Danse seemed to realize he’d struck a nerve, and lapsed into silence as well as he took up a similar position on the other side. They stayed there until the sun was down to its last slivers. Maggie nudged her hand against Danse’s, careful not to look at him, and her eyes only blurred further when the gesture was accepted, if hesitantly. She pulled a breath, not that it was ever enough when these spells of melancholy hit her. “I can’t even say what it is I miss so much,” she spoke softly. “But all at once it’s like this great feeling of emptiness in me.” When she finally looked over Danse was closer than he had been before, growing closer. Their shoulders bumped together, and it was natural as anything for Maggie to slide sideways so Danse could press her against the railing and kiss the breath out of her. 

The Paladin was a mix of whiskey and stubble and gun oil, all of it so familiar to her now after so many nights spent under the stars with this strange, stoic man who showed flashes of real tenderness. Tenderness like he showed now, hands on Maggie’s waist, lips parted but not invasive yet. In a tipping moment dusk shrouded them, and the hands on her waist moved decidedly south. Maggie moaned into his mouth as their tongues met and stoked the slow burn inside her to roaring flames. She clutched Danse to her, head falling backwards as the man attacked her throat with open mouthed kisses and teeth that stopped just short of hurting. There was the soft purr of her zipper coming down to her navel, strong hands against her chest, teeth to the sensitive spot where his shoulder met her neck. Her knees buckled with a gasp. But she caught his hands and pushed them away.

“Please,” the word slipped out of her on a whimper, eyes suddenly wet again. What might he think if he saw… He looked confused now, but accepted her rejection gracefully. He opened his mouth to speak, but seemed to think better of it. 

“Is this okay?” He kissed her lightly, then harder when she made an eager noise of encouragement.

As soon as it had started again, though, it was over. Danse was two feet away and hastily fixing the front of his suit. The urgency on his face made Maggie straighten, zip her vault suit, finger comb her hair. The door opened seconds later, and a Scribe stepped out onto the fore-deck with them. She saluted both, and addressed a spot just over the Paladin’s left shoulder as she reported that Proctor Ingram needed to see him about his armor. With that she turned on her heel and left them alone once more. Maggie let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding, and ran her fingers through her hair. 

“Damn it.” Coming from the normally formal man, the curse was startling. “Your neck.” Maggie brought up the reflective surface of her Pip Boy and a disbelieving laugh barked out of her. Three dark purple hickeys trailed from just under her jaw to disappear partially beneath her collar. 

“God, Danse.” She let out a shaky exhale, but lost her breath all over again as the Paladin pinned her to the railing again with a hand on either side. 

“The things you do to me when you say my name, Soldier,” he growled, then left off and disappeared through the door after the Scribe.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your body is morphing, distorting, I just don’t get it-  
> I don’t get it.  
> It’s so black and blue, how I’m drawn into you,  
> Magnetic, you’re magnetic.

The last person Maggie expected to see in front of her cramped corner table was Elder Maxson. She chewed her hastily taken bite, but couldn’t seem to remember how to swallow, so she just lifted her hand in a little wave that turned halfway through into a salute across her chest as she remembered who she was addressing. Finally she cleared her mouth enough to greet him properly. 

“Elder, hi, er, you want to sit down? I mean it’s your airship I guess you can sit wherever you like…”

“An invitation is always nice.” He dropped his stocky frame into the chair opposite her and sat back comfortably. Already she felt drawn to stop staring at her Pip Boy and sit forward, though she couldn’t tell if she was afraid of missing his words, or if she just wanted to be closer. “What were you doing? I see you fiddling with that thing constantly. May I?” He extended a hand, and she extended her arm to rest her fingers lightly in his. Real curiosity showed briefly through his features before they tightened into a short scowl. “This technology is a marvel two hundred years in the making, more than that even, and you’re playing games with it?” Maggie bit back the first reply that came to mind as she withdrew her hand and sat back. She could see why Danse idolized the man. Did the entire Brotherhood have to have a stick up its collective ass about everything? 

“In my down time I do, Sir. Otherwise it keeps track of my inventory, I can bring up a map of the area, my Geiger counter, open vaults for exploration, and in a pinch it serves as a flashlight.” Bright blue eyes flashed over her, and she once again found herself biting her tongue. “Elder I apologize, I was out of line.”

“You sound like you say that a lot, which, with Paladin Danse as your partner, I’m sure you do,” he murmured with a smile. “At ease, Knight. I’d like to hear more about your little device.” Maggie decided ten minutes in she liked talking with the stern man. Despite the air of absolute authority he still retained the youthful attribute of an open face even under the beard. She could read his reactions like a book. And after a day of trying to guess what Danse was thinking behind his permanent scowl, it was a relief. They lingered at the table until after she was finished with her meal, when Maggie got to her feet with surprising reluctance. 

“If you’ll excuse me Elder Maxson, I need to clean my power armor. I was going to clean the Paladin’s as well, since I apparently dragged him to hell and back “chasing butterflies” on our scouting mission.” 

“I’ll accompany you, Knight Maggie. You are charming company...and I'd like to hear that story.” He allowed her to go first and she strode ahead with a flush creeping up her cheeks. They took the vertibird to the ground, where in a concrete bay already built with sloping floors and drains, both suits of power armor stood waiting. She sighed as she surveyed the mess. 

**That Afternoon**

Heat pressed in all around them, rendering the power suit something akin to a walking oven. Maggie groaned as she heaved herself over another log, then surveyed the next obstacle and promptly pulled out her automatic saber. It growled to life in her hands, echoing across the fen. Danse stomped over to her, pushing branches out of his way as he did. 

“And where are you going?” He demanded. She pointed to a hill to their right, visible through the bracken. 

“That looks like a shack up there, and maybe a clear area to set up a camp for the Minutemen. Look the trade road is just a couple miles south, this would be the perfect place for a settlement. Besides, sir, we are on a surveillance mission. Scout the area, report back. Right?” She revved her saber with a grin he couldn’t see and turned to begin cutting a path through the thicket. Paladin Danse grumbled under his breath, but followed her in her difficult path and even lent a hand when she managed to get the blade stuck in a particularly difficult tree branch. She accepted it back, but quickly got distracted by a clearer path and took off that way- only to find the mud. 

“Knight!” As often as she heard it, Maggie was starting to like the exasperated tone that came through her radio. She struggled to pry her legs free of the sucking muck, and muttered several curses under her breath as she realized the futility of the gesture. Danse stood just clear and cast about for a solution. The suits were heavy with a capital H, with any luck they wouldn’t need a vertibird to get her out, but that was not outside the realm of possibilities. He put his hands on his hips, and finally walked over to knock down a tree with one punch. The wood splintered easily under his metal fist, and fell directly behind her. It elicited a yelp from her, and a snort from him. 

“Only because Elder Maxson would have me court marshaled if I left you out here- and believe me it has crossed my mind.”

“You’d miss me and you know it,” Maggie coaxed with a laugh. With some hard work she was able to lever herself up, enough to find solid ground at least, only for the ground to sink once more. “Danse!” She let out a yowl, and he crashed forward to heave her up. They both hit the ground, and inched up the bank to dry earth. What followed next was a completely undignified scramble that deafened anything in a mile radius as they got to their feet with a great deal of clashing metal. She sat, panting, for a moment, before she brightened again. “Oh. There’s a trail!” She had not seen the road through the trees. Danse followed her gaze, then looked back at her.

“That’s it, you’re going back into the bog.” She laughed until he advanced on her, when she sprinted for the safety of the road. 

**

Elder Maxson laughed when she finished recounting the tale as she wrangled her thick black hair up out of her face. With her vault suit’s sleeves tied down around her waist, the blooming purple marks on her neck were all the more obvious under her thin tank top. Which she completely forgot about until she realized the man was staring at her. 

“Oh, um…ran into a tree branch,” she mumbled, and covered them with her fingers self consciously. The little pain there only served as a reminder of their scorching kiss. Maggie hurried to one of the large pumps and reached up to grab the handle. With a few good cranks she was moving it up and down with ease, and there was a groaning rumble as water flooded up the pipes to give her access to the hose nearby. Once there was the satisfying gurgle of water she went to get the stiff bristled scrub brushes used to clean the armor. 

“Strange species of tree, to leave teeth marks,” Maxson commented. He draped his jacket over a crate and leaned his hip against it to roll his sleeves up. His forearms were more than a little distracting but she tried her best to focus. When she just groped for an appropriate answer he chuckled. “I can’t exactly say anything, Knight. Sometimes you have to find an outlet for…certain frustrations. And you could do worse than Danse, I know what the man looks like.” Another chuckle, this time the sound went straight to her lower belly at the suggestive flash of his eyes. She set to work instead, suddenly needing to do something with her hands. Maxson surprised her by stepping up and taking a brush as well. Together they worked at scrubbing the slimy muck away from the burnished metal. 

“If I may, Elder, the scar on your jaw…I’ve heard a lot of rumors.”

“The story about the deathclaw is my favorite,” he grinned at her with a wink. God he had an infectious smile, she mused. And dimples, which were knee melting on the already handsome commander. “If I told someone the truth where would the mystery come from? That’s half my power.” 

“Fair enough. You’re pretty mysterious.” Maggie spent the next several seconds kicking herself. Flirting with him, and badly at that, was entirely unintentional. Guilt crept in underneath it all. She and Danse were…were they? Were they not? Still, her principles stood. She realized he was studying her again. “Ah, Sir,” she added belatedly. She snorted softly. “As much time as I spent in the service you’d think I could remember titles.” 

“You were a soldier. With that attitude?” When she turned to apologize she caught another smirk, and a laugh bubbled out of her as warmth bloomed in her chest. 

“I take offense to that Sir! I’m not insubordinate all the time.” Her fingers brushed his arm.

“Yes, sometimes she’s asleep.” Both of them whirled to find Danse in the doorway, watching them with the usual unreadable expression. He saluted sharply as Maxson straightened up. “Elder, please, that’s my responsibility.” 

“And I offered my help freely, Paladin. I was enjoying the Knight’s company, she’s quite charming don’t you think?” There was something needling under his tone that made her scowl, especially as Danse came further into the room. 

“That would…not be my place to say, Sir.” She huffed at the show of masculinity and grabbed the hose to begin rinsing. In her carelessness, of course, the resulting spray misted both of them heavily enough for them to scramble out of the way. 

“Whoops,” she said between her teeth. “I apologize sirs, I should have checked the water pressure first.” She made a show of loosening her grip a little as she went on to rinse the suds away from Danse’s armor. 

“Thank you for speaking with me Maggie, we should do it again,” Maxson said when she paused to examine her work critically. She cracked enough to give him a salute and a smile that still didn’t quite reach her eyes. He caught her hand to kiss the back of her knuckles before he left. The soft brush of warm lips and beard against her skin sent an electric shock up her back. Sometimes she forgot what it was like to have someone else touch her. As he walked away she watched him go, only to find Danse looking thunderous when she turned back to the armor. He looked as if he wanted to say several things, but the only thing that escaped his lips was a grunt as he pointed to his now spotless armor. 

“That was my responsibility,” he repeated his earlier words. 

“My fault,” she snorted as she picked the brush up again. “I’m the reason you got dirty in the first place.” She turned to go, only to have him catch her arm. The restraining grip went soft as soon as she looked at him, and stayed there braceleting her just above the elbow. His thumb ran a delicate circle around her inner arm. “I said I would do it,” she murmured as he pulled her in. His other hand came up to cup her jaw-

Only for the moment to crash as he jumped back. Someone passed outside on the other side of the wall, footsteps fading. Maggie just sighed and went to her armor to put her arms into it. Danse pitched in, but he was spooked now, she could see in the way he stayed opposite her and made sure he addressed her by title. She followed suit even though it twisted her stomach a little. Memories rose bitter, stolen kisses and rendezvous points and a man who refused to leave his wife but could not live without her either. If Danse noticed the expression on her face he didn't say anything, and she let the silence gradually become less heavy. No sense being angry when you could not be, she'd always reminded Nate. That trail of thought she shut down before it even started, and focused on putting her arm into working the scrub brush. Between the two of them they got the armor sparkling again, and she removed pieces of the right arm to see if she could make it easier to grip Justice. The fingers were still a little stiff, gloves slightly too large for her hands. 

“Did, ah, did Elder Maxson say anything about your neck?” 

“Told him I tripped,” she bit out harder than she meant to. She wiped sweat away on her shoulder and winced as the bruises twinged at the movement. “Don’t worry. I understand discretion, hard as that may be to believe.” There was only silence behind her, and when she turned he was standing behind her, fists clenching and unclenching. 

“Maggie-” His voice caught in his throat, and in three strides he was across the room. 

“I’m starting to think you like pinning me to things,” she poked at him breathlessly, only to be silenced by his kiss. 

“Do you ever shut your mouth?” He buried his hands in her hair and pulled her head back to ravage the other side of her throat. A keening noise escaped her as his thigh parted hers, giving her something to grind on as she squirmed under his teeth and the unyielding grip against her scalp. 

“F-fuck Danse-” A moan choked from her. “Benjamin said you like to pull hair.” 

“Discretion hmm?” He pressed her into another long kiss, hands dragging down her back, around her sides, and up her belly. She grabbed his wrists and redirected them out to the sides of the workbench to hold them there, fingers laced. 

“Well if someone would stop turning me purple…” She laughed against his lips and darted in to grab the point of his neck with her own teeth. His hips bucked immediately and she grinned as she ground her teeth down hard. 

“Maggie!” He sucked a hissing breath in.

“Danse?” She replied innocently as she soothed the bite marks with her tongue before working her way up to trace the curve of his ear. “Oh boo you don’t bruise at all.”

“Here at least,” he muttered, and she pulled back with a look of delight. Danse realized his mistake shortly before Maggie pounced. She shoved him around the corner, yanked the zipper of his suit down and went for his chest. No, he didn’t bruise there either she discovered. However, he did make the most undignified noise when she scraped her teeth lightly over one of his flat nipples. Maggie pinched the other one while she sucked and he nearly crawled up the wall. Her fingers dove lower but he finally put a stop to it, breathing uneven. “That’s enough Soldier, we’re- we’re going to get caught it’s the middle of the day.” 

“You are zero percent fun,” she huffed, but let him step back. A giggle rose as she took him in. They were in a relatively hidden nook behind some crates, and Danse looked like the definition of fun in her book. His suit was still unzipped to show a chest dusted with dark hair and bite marks that dragged up to his mouth, lips swollen from her insistent kisses. His hair stuck up at angles where she had pulled, giving him a taste of his own medicine. And that wasn’t even mentioning the evident erection that looked in danger of ripping a seam in the front of his flight suit. Maggie ran her fingers through her long black hair and sighed. “So, what’s the deal with you and Maxson?” A choked cough escaped him, and her eyebrows shot up. “I meant that macho bullshit you were pulling earlier, but now I’m really interested.”

“Drop it, Soldier.” He dragged a hand over his face, and the next word came out quieter. “Please.” 

“Were you jealous?” The question was casual, but his reaction was palpable. Danse stiffened, and fire flashed through his eyes. He finished redoing his uniform and stalked out with a set to his jaw that she later realized was fury. She’d never actually pissed him off before, Maggie’s brow furrowed as she trailed after him. Her armor still needed attending, her day had involved enough excitement already, and her Paladin could sort himself out. The man was hard enough to talk to normally, much less angry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any suggestions for Maxson are welcome, this is basically my headcanon and I am taking full artistic license until someone takes it away from me.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Have you found what you've been searching for,  
> Ask yourself has it been worth it all?  
> In another life, in another light,  
> Have you found what you've been searching for?

Maggie straightened and wiped the last of the water from her neck and shoulders. She examined her reflection in the clouded surface of the washroom mirror. Somewhere to the side were the showers, with the usual sounds of various crew members washing up. After so much time, she had grown used to seeing the crew in various states of undress, and was even comfortable standing in only her shirt and panties, as she did now. She still refused to let them see her scars, though many of them men and women alike bore the marks from battles survived. To her other side Benjamin stood, clad only in a towel as he carefully shaved his face. The Scribe’s face twisted in concentration, but he still managed a sidelong glance and a short chuckle. 

“Keep that up and you’ll start to fit in, Knight,” he commented. 

“It’s so god damned hot here…I can see why this is a popular choice.” She ran her hand along the freshly shaved sides of her head, strangely light now that she’d cut half her thick black hair away. She cleared the mess into the bin nearby, and yanked her pants on before she headed for her quarters again, barefoot and still rubbing water from her hair. When she rounded a corner she nearly ran smack into Paladin Danse, or rather, his chest plate. The man was six foot without it, just eye level with Maggie, in his second skin he was close to six six. For a moment they stood and stared at each other. 

“You cut your hair.” There was no missing the disapproval in his voice, or the flush on his cheeks that followed it. There was the short pull of his teeth against his lower lip. He always did that when he thought he misspoke: having made an extensive study of his mouth Maggie knew there were several small scars there as evidence of the habit. Scars she just loved to get her teeth into.

“I like the look.” Maggie grinned at one of the Initiates who passed them coming from the showers. When her gaze returned to the Paladin, he was glowering at no one in particular. It was a familiar expression, one she couldn’t resist poking at further. She stepped closer and smirked as she murmured, “There’s still plenty to pull, don’t worry...” Scribe Benjamin had been more than happy to tell her all about his superior’s quirks. No question, every former fling said without hesitation- he liked to pull hair. Added to her own experience with the man she’d almost call it a fetish. Truthfully she hadn’t thought of it when she made the decision, now it was just a matter of whether she would regret it. Danse sputtered a little, bright red, and her grin widened. 

“Th-that was inappropriate Soldier, and frankly none of your business.” He backed up a step and clanged into the wall behind him when she came closer.

“I’ll be sure to remember that next time you want to yank me around by my braid.” Maggie tipped a wink at him and strolled past before he could retort. She put a little extra roll in her hips and tried to contain the pounding in her chest…as well as the throbbing in her pants. Seeing Danse serious was attractive, angry he was downright lethal. She wondered idly what angry sex might be like with him, and immediately regretted it as her cunt perked right up and slowed her swagger down to a walk. Even the rubbing of her thighs was maddening lately, she needed a release but there was zero privacy- on board or not. Their brief interludes in dark corners or out in the field did nothing but inflame her further. She pondered what it might take to make him less paranoid about being caught as she strolled into their section of the Prydwen bunks. Initiate Elyssa met her with a salute, then a grin. 

“Looking good, Ma’am.” Thank God the younger woman had finally stopped ending every other sentence with her full title. The Initiate opted to shave her whole head for simplicity’s sake, and looked even younger with the thick fuzz of golden hair only accentuating her round face. Maggie inclined her head and dropped the casual pants to drape them over the end of her bed. Someone aboard had assigned the four of them together, and while she retained her doubts at first, as soon as they figured out she wasn’t mad about the hazing incident they’d all fallen in thick as thieves. The Knights tended to bed down with their crew, it was easier in an emergency, and aside from that it built personal relationships with people who had their back in a fire fight. Maggie picked up her vault suit and wrangled herself into it, as Benjamin joined them. He tipped Elyssa’s chin with a finger in passing and she giggled. 

“Paladin Danse looked like he was chewing glass when I passed him, what did you do?” He inquired. He motioned to her head with an arched eyebrow. The Scribe could spot what they were doing a mile away, but didn’t particularly see it as any of his business aside from teasing her a little when she came in with fresh bruises, which she did every time the wind picked up, much less when she had a gorgeous Paladin going at her throat like his life depended on it.

“Oh the usual, I’m a real pain in his titanium ass,” Maggie just laughed. When Elyssa turned around she nodded to Benjamin, inciting a grin and silent laughter. She ran her fingers along the rough velvet of her scalp once more, then tied her remaining hair into a knot. Already the fresh air around her ears was cooling her down. She tried not to think about Danse stroking her head, or worse, pulling her hair like he was so fond of doing. She gritted her teeth in brief irritation and checked her Pip Boy. A message from the Minutemen, she was needed in a settlement to sort out a Raider problem. Again. Apparently one of her turrets was malfunctioning. She sighed and grabbed Justice as she headed for the door. “Scribe Benjamin.”

“Ma’am.”

“If anyone comes looking for me, radio me. I’ve got business downstairs to deal with, and as far as I know Maxson doesn’t need me at the moment.” 

“Would you like us to assist you, Knight?” The man inquired. As much as they got along privately he was an excellent addition to the team as well, and took his duties seriously. No one quite defined efficiency like Scribe Benjamin. 

“No, it’s just a few Raiders, and they might not even be there when I get down as the settlement isn’t that big. I’ll take Paladin Danse. Maybe we can find where they’re coming from and nuke the place for good.” Even though it made her sweat a little to think about Danse wielding his weapon with deadly aim and roaring the Brotherhood slogan the whole time. Watching him throw his weight around in the power armor was hot enough, not to mention how much muscle he had under- she shook her head and kept her expression neutral. “Try not to let the twins burn the place down, I’m pretty fond of the Prydwen now.” A brief smile touched Benjamin’s face and he saluted. 

“Aye Ma’am, ad victoriam.” Maggie repeated the sentiment and went to climb into her power armor. Once she had access to the radio she summoned the Paladin to the flight deck, where they took a vertibird to the ground. 

Tenpines Bluff was in an uproar when they took the ten foot leap to the ground. As the whirring of the small aircraft faded every settler seemed to be talking at once, some of them crying. Maggie attempted to settle them, and finally brought her curled fist against her chest plate a couple times to stun them into silence with the noise. 

“That’s a new use for the suit,” Danse commented wryly. She just shrugged and turned back to the task at hand. With a pop her helmet came off, and she sighed at the cooling breeze. 

“That’s better, now I can hear you. One at a time, what happened? Let’s all calm down a little, we’re here now to deal with the threat and I came as soon as I heard one of our settlements was in trouble. Is there someone who saw everything the most clearly?” One man stepped up, staunching the flow of bleeding on his arm with a grungy kerchief. He had been working in the garden a few yards away from the main houses when the turrets began firing. Well, one of them, he expressed with a scowl. The other just smoked and set off an alarm noise that brought four or five Raiders out of the trees to attack. Mostly small arms, but they were whooping and firing wildly, which scared the lot of them half to death. The settlers fired back and drove them off, but there were threats to return that night and burn the place to the ground. Maggie felt compelled to step out of her armor for a moment as she saw how pale he was. Danse made a disgruntled noise but she ignored the incoming comment and squeezed the man’s good shoulder. 

“That’s not going to happen,” she promised, then looked around. “We’ll wipe the floor with their sorry hides, and bring back what was stolen. The Minutemen protect their own! What I need you all to do is clean up. Can someone check the turret out to see what the damage is, and I want someone else to get me an inventory going of the things that need repair. We should be back tonight, or tomorrow morning.” With that she stepped into her armor again, and lifted her arm. “Protect the people!” A cheer went up, and she motioned Danse to follow as she marched off in the direction the settler had pointed. 

“I forget how good you are with them sometimes,” he commented as they were deep in the woods some time later. “I understand diplomacy, but I don’t think anyone has ever welcomed the Brotherhood of Steel with open arms like that. We are…a force that is tolerated.”

“I’ll welcome you with open arms anytime Paladin.” He sighed heavily and she could almost feel him rolling his eyes. “That’s why I work with Preston and the Minutemen. You guys are great, sure, but you can’t be as hands on. You don’t have the manpower- or the inclination. Me and him, we live down here. We have a…shoot what did he call it…a more vested interest in the well being of our settlements. Because we’re neighbors. We care about people the way you care about technology.”

“I hadn’t thought of it that way,” he replied thoughtfully. “You should speak with Elder Maxson in those terms, I think he would find the conversation enlightening.” Danse stopped then, and pointed ahead. Campfire smoke, and the noise of a generator. Both of them readied their rifles, and moved forward more carefully through the brush, though there was no hiding their approach completely. The sentry at the watch tower spotted them first, and got half a warning out before Danse blasted him off his perch. Shouting came from within the ragtag assortment of trailers and shacks. The two soldiers charged forward.

In the smoking ruin of the Raider outpost, Maggie yanked her helmet off and sucked in a deep breath. Her heart raced, adrenaline surging through her. It was a mad fumble to get out of the power armor, but once she did she felt like she could breathe again, hands braced on her thighs. When exactly had it become arousing to be in a fire fight? When she watched Paladin Danse, in quarters too close to use his weapon, put a fist through one man’s skull, and pick up another to fling him across the clearing into a tree. Yes that had probably done it.

“Knight, are you injured?” The tinny voice from her helmet was accompanied by the man himself clanking around a corner. He removed his helmet to look at her with real concern. “Maggie?” Hearing her name in that damned voice of his was almost too much for her. She shook her head, eyes closed, and straightened up. 

“That armor is HOT, I’m out of breath. That’s all. I saw a trailer down the road a ways, you want to camp for the night?” He made a noise of assent and went back the way he’d come. She gave herself to the count of ten to get back in her suit and follow him. They jogged back down the road to the trailer, where they both stepped out of their armor. Maggie’s mouth went dry watching him stretch with a little groan of satisfaction. She closed the distance between them unthinking, and he looked at her. 

“Danse,” her voice came out hoarse and more than a little pleading. When she put her hands on his chest she didn’t intend to push him against the trailer, but her body acted of its own accord, and there was no objection from him. In fact, he reeled her in for a biting kiss and grabbed her ass with both hands. She rubbed his cock through the front of his flight suit until he was breathing raggedly and groaning into her mouth. 

“Here, Knight?” 

“Here,” she growled, and whirled them around to press her ass against him and unfasten the lower portion of her vault suit. It slid down enough to give him access, enough for his fingers to slide in all too easily. 

“You’re- Jesus,” he said unevenly before withdrawing. There was the sound of sliding buckles and then his cock was bare against her ass. Maggie arched and reached under herself to grab the thick length for a quick stroke that made his hips buck. “Quit fucking around,” he groaned and the curse only inflamed her further, knowing she did that to him. She guided the thick head against her cunt, and in a single motion he was inside her. They hit their knees, Danse braced against the trailer wall with a hand, Maggie on all fours fighting not to get pushed into the dirt by the sheer power he put behind his thrusts. His other hand slid around to find her clit and a little cry escaped her. This wasn’t going to last long at all, but it was how she needed it. Hard, dirty. Harder, harder…stars burst behind her eyes, the name slipped out before she could stop it, and in the time it took her to realize she had just cried her dead husband’s name Danse pulled out to come on the ground between her thighs with a grunt of satisfaction. He slumped against her back to catch his breath. 

As he put his head on straight again he ran his hands up and down her belly, just enjoying the sensations of the woman under him, only to pause just below the band of her bra.

“Why won’t you let me touch you here?”

“Are we going to have this conversation now?” She arched a brow at him over her shoulder and wiggled her hips to remind him the position they were in. He grimaced apologetically.

“Right.” He got off her, and Maggie moaned as she got to her feet to fix the lower part of her vault suit. She ached after being used that hard, but in the best way. Knowing it bothered him she moved away to light a cigarette, and was surprised when he joined her, though he stood upwind. 

“If it’s personal I understand, I was just…if it’s something I might be able to help with, I would like to.” He cleared his throat a little. She exhaled slowly. What came out next surprised her.

“Before all this I had breast cancer. Got me a medical discharge and a couple months of hell. They took the right one off in the end. The scar’s not pretty, even Nate didn’t like to look at it.” Bitterness soured her mouth as she stared out over the woods. “It was a long time ago, even longer now I guess, but it’s still a tender subject.” Danse remained quiet, and stayed with her until she quashed the butt beneath her boot and headed back around to start a small fire, well hidden and low to the ground to avoid detection. He ghosted out of the darkness to sit beside her. 

“I was not informed. I suppose it was Knight-Captain Cade’s duty not to tell me as the Prydwen’s doctor, but I do try to keep myself appraised of my Knights and their affairs.” When she looked at him he was still staring in the fire, though a blush crept up his cheeks. “Outside any physical feelings I may have for you, I care about you Soldier. Thank you for trusting me with what was clearly something very private.” 

“Took you long enough to finally fuck me, I think you can handle a little back story.”

“Your husband’s name was Nate.” She nodded, and her face suddenly drained. 

“Oh my God.”

“Don’t- er, I understand your motivation for calling his name. He was a large part of your life for a long time, it was instinctual,” Danse assured her, though he too was red in the cheeks and unable to make solid eye contact with her.

“I- I’m sorry-”

“Next time, it’ll be my name,” he said with a familiar resolute set to his jaw, and it drew a gasp and half a giggle out of her. 

“Paladin!” Maggie relaxed, though, enough to lean up for a quick kiss. “I’ll see if I can find rations that are edible somewhere in my pack, if you want to scout the area and make sure it’s secure for the night. And…Danse…thank you.” 

“All in the line of duty, Knight.” He pinched her cheek lightly and she sent him off with a laugh and a swat on the butt.

The settlers welcomed them back with cheers the next day, and after Maggie distributed the stolen goods, she stepped out of her armor to head for the workbench. The Paladin opted to stay in his, but followed along and watched them work for some time. Maggie fit in effortlessly with the settlers. She knew most of them by name now, Tenpines was one of her first settlements. It was nearly noon when she finally stopped, satisfied with the new fortifications, and she pulled a face at the thought of getting back into her armor. Still, the walls needed to go up. 

“Paladin, we need to get these up and hold them while Dan puts the bolts in place.”

“Affirmative.” They moved together to put up the six foot barricades between the two houses that faced the woods. In her armor it was a simple thing, but her arms still burned a little as she waited for the go-ahead from Dan. “Knight, we should speak when you have a moment.” 

“Aye Sir.” She nodded, preoccupied by watching the eight inch bolts go into the walls. Once the wiry man hopped to the ground again the two soldiers stepped back, and Paladin Danse could not help his grin as he surveyed the work they’d done. 

“Outstanding,” he murmured, and clapped her on the back. “Good work Soldier, this should boost the level of defense in this settlement significantly. Do your settlers know how to organize a watch properly?” When she shook her head he rubbed his chin. “When we get back to the Prydwen, speak with Elder Maxson. We might be able to assign a Knight or two to teach them. If they’re going to be down here for ground patrols they might as well.” 

“That’s a great idea!” She crowed. “Oh geez you have no idea what a burden that would be off Preston’s shoulders. Mine too, I guess, we’re only human…and there IS only the two of us between the entire Commonwealth.”

“I thought so. Let’s head out, Soldier, we can discuss it on the way there.” She nodded with a brief salute that was rapidly becoming a muscle memory. She said her goodbyes to the settlers, and they headed out again through the trees. Their pace lifted as they hit the cracked road, and Maggie sang along with the radio echoing from her Pip Boy. She brought a particularly soulful rendition of It’s A Man to a close, and silence fell as she turned it down to avoid the DJ’s nervous stuttering. 

“Did you want to talk about something? I forgot, got all caught up with getting that wall in place.” A thought struck her and she looked over at him. 

“Ah, yes.”

“Mm, that’s your serious voice. Penny for your thoughts? Cap for your thoughts, I guess…” Her laughter came out suddenly strained. Where had the tight feeling in her chest come from? They walked on in silence for a little longer. Danse was obviously putting his thoughts in order, though she could have cut the tension on his face with a knife. “Just blurt it out,” she said softly. “It’s always worked so well for me.” 

“I like you a lot, but my definition of a relationship is unconventional, to say the least, and I am weighing the risk in laying my hand out on the table, so to speak.”

“See, that wasn’t so hard.” Relief washed through her and rendered her knees a little loose. She hadn’t known the depth of her feelings before, not until she thought he might be on the verge of cutting off contact. “I hardly think it’s possible for me to be surprised anymore, honestly, just tell me. Please, Danse. Have a little faith. I like you too.” 

“Ah, well, to start with I…mm, I like men and women,” he muttered with a little cough. He fiddled with his plasma rifle strap. “And…I do not subscribe to monogamy. If you had come along when I was in my early twenties I would have had some story about how it was crucial that we survive, and thus the need to keep the human line strong overrode any sense of monogamy. I was…very full of ideas back then- stop laughing Soldier!” He scowled until she put her hands up and contained her mirth at the idea. “Now my reasoning is more simple. It’s just the way I feel. It does not render any relationship I choose to be in less valid, or less serious, and I do not seek other partners because I am bored. When I am with you, I am yours.” The edge to his voice made her smile fade, and Maggie shook her head. 

“Thank you for telling me at least. When I know to expect it…the idea is not so wild as you might expect. It’s when I find out you were hiding it…” 

“I would never.” He had the Paladin voice on now, she mused with a small smile. “Maggie I have built my life around honesty. I am telling you this because I have given serious thought to pursuing you…not just the distractions we have every so often.” 

“I’m a distraction eh?” She grinned at him.

“More than I would ever give you the satisfaction of knowing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will get to Maxson, I'm just wrestling with the direction it needs to go.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even if we can't find heaven,  
> I'll walk through hell with you.  
> Love, you're not alone,  
> cuz I'm gonna stand by you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All aboard the shame train. I, uh, I changed the direction this was going after wrestling with my writing demons. Hopefully this chapter is better. Christ why do I do this to myself...

“Elder Maxson!” She caught sight of a familiar leather jacket and ran to catch up with him. How he managed to make her feel small even when she was in power armor gave her rare insight into what made the rest of them fall right in line, she thought as he looked up at her. “Ah, sorry, let me put this away- er, wanted to catch you before you disappeared. Paladin Danse recommended I speak with you about ground patrols.”

“That would be Kells’ division.” He raised a thick eyebrow at her. “If you wished to have my attention you could have simply asked.” She opened her mouth to defend herself, but caught his smile a second later, and shut it again with a huff and a chuckle. 

“Man you do have a sense of humor! One of the Scribes owes me a beer. I know you’re busy but could I put this away and come find you again?” 

“I will wait here for you.” Maggie thumped out a salute against her breast plate and hurried to the bay to put her power armor in its station. She found herself with a swooping sensation in her belly at the prospect of speaking with Maxson again, one she pushed down to be examined later. For now she fixed her hair the best she could and took the steps two at a time to get back to the upper levels. Maxson was in the middle of accepting a report from one of the Knights, so she waited and fiddled with her Pip Boy, all the while stealing looks up at him over the screen. The patrols were still catching snippets of odd radio broadcasts, and this one had lead them straight up against a Deathclaw. His brow furrowed with concern as he assured the Knight it was not his fault that his team was injured. He did the right thing, taking initiative and chasing the signal that had been eluding them all for weeks. Maxson dismissed the Knight with a salute, and finally turned back to her. 

“Maggie. I’m glad to see you back safe, Scribe Benjamin informed me of your travels to assist the Minutemen. They’re unorganized and their methods are crude…but I suppose they are doing some good. What can I help you with?”

“Sir, you’re speaking with the General of the Minutemen. We can’t all be as well put together as the illustrious Brotherhood.” She snorted at the look on his face, and accepted his offered arm. “Paladin Danse suggested it might do some good having the Brotherhood train the settlers in some basic tactics.” When he raised his eyebrows again she shrugged. “Look I know you guys- us guys- we aren’t exactly a welcome force here. We all know we’re doing it for their own good, I guess, but the people on the ground don’t always see it that way right? Preston Garvey and I are trying to make the Commonwealth better just as much as the Brotherhood, but we can’t be everywhere at once. Much as I respect the man, he’s not a soldier, and I’m still learning. I just- I get so frustrated running back and forth. I want them to be able to defend themselves and their families.” Maggie sighed, and rubbed her head. “I’m sorry, Sir. That got personal.”

“You speak with real dedication in your voice,” he murmured as they drifted to a halt on one of the upper catwalks. He tipped her chin up to look at him, and she realized how close they stood. “As much as I value that in a soldier…personally I find it deeply captivating. Under your cynicism you have a good heart.”

“You’re gonna make me blush, Elder.” She grinned, and accepted the kiss he planted against her lips. Unbidden, thoughts of Danse rose up, and she took a step back then. “I’m sorry. I…have some things to think about. I’m interested, but…”

“I understand. I just hope you know I am a very patient man, and any time you feel the urge to join me on my evening walks, your company is welcome regardless of your choice. Now, Knight, I suggest you consult Lancer Captain Kells about your plan to train the settlers. He’ll assess the risks and rewards, and send a report in to me himself.”

“Yes sir. Ad Victoriam.” She saluted, and gave him a small smile as she tucked her hair back. “Tomorrow evening?” He nodded, and watched her go down the steps behind them.

Over the next six weeks Maggie settled into a routine, more or less. Her training with the Brotherhood went well, she progressed at the expected rate, though some things came more easily than others. The crew was now well used to her, and had accepted her into the family, it appeared. She sang along with the Pip Boy radio while she worked on her armor, and now had two or three voices to join her. The days were spent either out in the field or on board learning course work with the Initiates; in the evenings she walked with Elder Maxson as he made his rounds of the huge ship, where they spoke on anything from politics to the games she had stored on her Pip Boy; and in between this she spent quite a bit of her spare time crammed in a dark corner with Danse. He was still jumpy about getting caught, still had a stick up his ass about a lot of things- which drove her up the wall- but he could also kiss her breathless, and the few times he determined it low enough risk to fuck her, she couldn’t get enough. They still hadn’t discussed much about their conversation from the Tenpines trip, not that she felt any particular need to. Danse and Maxson continued to get puffed up around each other, but separately they were a delight, and she loved having that much attention and affection lavished on her. Maxson kept a respectful distance, but it certainly didn’t stop him from flirting with her, and Maggie knew sooner or later she was going to have to sort out her feelings with the man. And with Danse.

They’d managed to find a secluded place in one of the blown out aircraft behind the airport, and met there frequently enough for just what they were doing right now. Away from prying eyes Danse had her against a wall, hands gripping her thighs to hold her there while he did absolutely sinful things to her neck. Maggie whimpered and gripped his head as his teeth dug in, and he pulled up to look at her, eyes half lidded and burning with desire. 

“Too hard?”

“No such thing.” She pulled him in for a hard kiss. “But fuck you’re going hard today. It isn’t because I let Maxson help me with my armor is it?”

“That’s- no that’s irrelevant.”

“Your ears turn pink when you lie,” she laughed lazily, only to squeal when he hiked her higher, and bit her hard. The top of her vault suit came down around her elbows to pin her arms. 

“You’re mine,” he growled as he marked her. “I’ll share, hell that’s what they taught me from day one. But I can’t help wanting to bend you over your station in front of him. The man gets under my skin in the best way.” She could only whimper in response, and grind her hips against his. Danse shuddered a little as he set her roughly on her feet to spin her around. He yanked her suit down around her thighs and she yelped as he thrust fully into her. His hand wrapped around her throat to pull her against him as he rode her hard. Maggie cried out when he bit her neck again. 

“F-fuck Danse!” Her eyes watered a little from the strain on her body, but she couldn’t bring herself to stop him for the life of her. Her nails skidded down the wall in front of her, eyes rolling. His grip increased on her throat, digging cruelly into her bruises. “Please.”

“No.” He pulled out of her abruptly. Maggie was practically thrown to her knees. She opened her mouth hungrily and choked on his thick cock before she hit his hip. He eased back enough to let her acclimate, and groaned as she sucked her own juices off him before continuing to bob her head. “God, Soldier, you look so good right now.”

“Only for you,” she purred, and licked up the bottom of his shaft to draw a shudder from him. She circled the head with her tongue and eased him back into her mouth to apply hard suction. His hips bucked a little, testing, and then thrust into her mouth rhythmically. His hands settled in her hair and she concentrated on opening her throat for him to let him fuck her mouth. A strangled noise was all the warning she got before he shot in her mouth, and she struggled to swallow in order to keep breathing. When he withdrew from her mouth she drooled down her chin, and caught the second spurt across her lips and cheek. The restraining fingers in her hair went loose, and when she looked up at him, one eye still closed to guard against mishap, a contented smile spread across his face. 

“Feel better?”

“Much. Here, let me clean you up…cute as you look like that,” he replied. Once she was on her feet and cleaned up, she went to fix her suit, but he stopped her, so she just tied it around her waist and wrapped her arms around him. “I apologize for being so rough,” he murmured, and she couldn’t help but laugh. 

“You finally pound the hell out of me, and then apologize? Holy shit Danse…you’re too much for me sometimes.” He gave her a confused look and she just kissed him by means of reply. “I loved it. I love everything you do to me.” His fingers traced the line of her neck, and she hissed at the fire that followed his touch. “I’m not even going to look. I can feel what color I am.”

“I was…overenthusiastic,” he mumbled, blushing bright red and dipping to trail gentle kisses from shoulder to jaw. “Truly Maggie, I did not intend to mark you so thoroughly. I just…mm.” He nuzzled her cheek and refused to look at her, face heated. 

“You like it when you do this to me. Danse, is that what gets your motor running? You could have told me that earlier,” she giggled. He slapped her ass for her impertinence, but jumped when she returned the favor. “And here I thought you were a scaredy-cat about getting caught. Guess I could have seen that coming after you were so happy about what I did to your back.”

“It hurt for a week,” he replied in bliss. “Especially during training exercises.” They parted finally to continue getting dressed, and she stepped outside for a cigarette. Now she looked at her neck on the screen, and couldn’t help the bark of startled laughter that escaped her. Lord, what was she going to do with him? There were finger shaped bruises on her arms as well, and she knew by the soreness around her middle he had likely done some damage to her hips from the punishing grip he kept her in, as well. Danse stepped out to join her, and she stamped her butt out to link fingers with him. She popped a few pieces of candy to disguise the ash and smoke on her breath.

“You walk with Maxson a lot lately.” Maggie glanced up as they strolled along the coastline. 

“Yes.” She shrugged. “He kissed me once or twice, but I told him I need to think. So far he’s respected it.”

“He would, he follows my principles on the matter.” Danse nodded. 

“Oh? And how do you know that hmm?” She teased. He just rolled his eyes and bumped her with his shoulder. 

“Maggie, if you are attracted to him, act accordingly. It does not bother me in the least.” 

“You sure?” They stopped just out of sight of the base, and he leaned in to kiss her. 

“I would like to see you happy. I already know that I make you happy, and if he adds to the joy that puts my favorite smile across your face, then I want that too.” With a last kiss they parted ways. Danse had a training mission to go on, taking along two Initiates, and she had the weekend to herself. 

That night was not the same without him there to watch the sun set. Still she found herself out on the forecastle out of sheer habit. 

“Ah, Knight. I did not think anyone was out here.” She jumped a little at the sound of Maxson’s voice, but made a gesture for him to join her. He came to lean his stocky body against the railing, and produced a cigarette from some inside pocket of his flight suit to light. That definitely caught her eye, without his bulky coat in the way she couldn’t help but stare a little. The man was solid muscle. It was hard for her sometimes, to remember he was so much younger than she was. He always seemed to be so sure of himself, but then again that was part of what she liked about their walks. He let down the shield of Elder and presented himself as a man, Arthur Maxson, nothing more and nothing less. Maggie looked away again when he caught her staring, but he just smiled. “You know, I have to say I appreciate the way you put his marks on display like that.” With her hair pulled up and the arms of her vault suit down around her waist, Maggie wore the purple roses on her throat and shoulder proudly. After their talk that afternoon how could she not? Still, her cheeks turned pink, and she faced him with a curious look as she blew smoke out slowly. 

“He gave them to me for a reason. Overexcited as he gets, I’m pretty sure it was on purpose. And since we’re getting things out in the open I think we need to have a talk. I value you as a friend and as my superior-”

“But you can’t see yourself pursuing me romantically.” Maggie chewed her cheek as she watched his face. “I suppose I saw this coming. I stand by my word, though, you’re a good friend Maggie.” He stroked her arm lightly. “If you’re sure this is what you want. I hope you will continue our evening strolls, I've grown quite accustomed to having your opinion on certain things.” He grinned at her, stretching the scar on his cheek. They finished their cigarettes in silence that was inexplicably lighter, and Maggie was the first to excuse herself inside. 

Danse was cross legged on the floor at the foot of his bunk, pieces of his plasma rifle spread out with military precision in front of him. At first he didn’t notice her in the doorway, and she took the rare moment to watch him work. His thick fingers were surprisingly nimble when it came to technology. He plucked a rod of metal up and held it up to the dim light to examine it, only to meet her eyes past that, and startle. Maggie glanced over her shoulder before she stepped in, sure to leave the door open, sure to sit across from him despite the urge to crawl into his lap, sure to address him by title as she greeted him. 

“Had a talk with Elder Maxson, tonight, Paladin.” 

“And was it as enlightening as you thought?” He set the rod down and rested his palms across his thighs, brows knitted together. A brittle smile touched her lips as she shook her head slightly. 

“He’s- he’s twenty, Danse that’s eight years younger than I am!” She choked on her laughter, and rubbed her forehead. “I think I got so caught up in all the attention I wasn’t thinking straight. Nate never- he…” Her hand slipped down over her mouth and the rifle pieces blurred suddenly. “Maxson was so nice about it. What the hell do I do with that? He might actually be content with just being my friend.” 

“He, ah, he’s pretty honest.” Danse flailed a little when faced with her anguished expression, and rose quickly to walk to the door. There was the noise of it shutting, and then he was behind her. Maggie let him bundle her into his lap and wrap his arms around her. His lips pressed the crown of her head, his hands kneaded her back and arms. Danse never knew what to do when the bouncy, sarcastic woman he knew and loved turned melancholy, but he took it in stride. So many of the people around him were broken, it seemed, but she was now at the top of his list when it came to fixing them, right on par with Scribe Haylen. 

Gradually Maggie stopped sniffling, and wiped her eyes. She tilted her head up to look at him, and a lopsided grin fought its way across his face. 

“You are a mess, Soldier.” 

“Yeah well I’m YOUR mess Paladin, what kind of commanding officer does that make you?” Her smile faded as she pressed into him with a sigh. “The best, that’s what it makes you. Mm, you smell nice...but I guess I better get out of your lap before some Initiate comes through that door and you have to throw them off the Prydwen to hide our shame.” She got out of his lap before he could retort, leaving Danse with a disapproving look that was trying hard not to be a smile.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've been bleeding in your silence,  
> I feel safer in your valiance,  
> I hold on like leaves in fall to what is left.  
> Before I sleep I talk to God-  
> He must be mad with me, it's karma.  
> I'm confused who I'll spend my forever with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No porn in this one, but I couldn't bring myself to put anything smutty in a chapter that covers Blind Betrayal. Understand that it diverges a little from canon here, but not too badly I hope.

Sanctuary was so much quieter than being on board the Prydwen. Maggie leaned hard to pop her back, and got to her feet to examine the progress she’d made on the power armor in front of her. From the ruined house just beyond there came bursts of laughter and a sudden cry that brought her in to see what the settlers were up to now. Through the blown out window she could see the back yard where several of them mingled among the garden, talking as they worked. One of the women examined Sturges’ hand. A sheepish look crossed the man’s face as he spotted her watching. 

“Splinter, big sucker too,” he called out with a wave. “I wasn’t payin’ attention, no worries Maggie.” 

“He’s in good- less clumsy- hands,” his pretty companion laughed. Maggie nodded and headed back to the carport, turned into a crafting station now. Her grin only widened as she saw who was examining her handiwork, and she placed her steps carefully so that when she pinched both of his sides, the slight openings in his armor where thick canvas gave her the barest access, Danse jumped half a foot with a yelp. She dodged his swing and leaned an arm on the power station. 

“Awful jumpy there, Paladin,” she observed as he scowled at her. 

“I do not see why you insist on doing that, Soldier.”

“Because you’re cute when you blush- see! Like that.” He sputtered a minute, growing redder, before he glanced quickly around, then grabbed her and yanked her up against the steel of his chest plate. She lost her breath as she usually did when he touched her. It was rare, unless they were in the dark, or alone. And even then he was a tactical man. Privately she thought he’d forgotten how to interact on a personal level. “Why, sir, someone could see us,” she teased against his lips before she leaned into the kiss more. He pulled back automatically, and Maggie sighed as she extricated herself and took a step back. 

“Soldier- ah, M-Maggie-” He rarely called her by her name either, even after all the time they’d been together, the thought stole across her mind. 

“Did you need something?” She made sure her mods would hold before she closed the plate on the armor’s left leg and set to gathering her tools. Even with the lights she’d installed it was too dark to be squinting at tiny wires tonight, and besides that her fingers were sore. “Or did Elder Maxson sent you to find me?” 

“No.” She raised an eyebrow at him and rubbed the crick in her neck, then up to the shaved sides of her head. Even under the messy bun she had gathered her hair into, she was sweating in the summer humidity. She needed another shave. More importantly she wasn’t in the mood to drag a painful conversation out of him, so she just shook her head and turned to go around the house. Behind her there was a hissing, then the pop of seals coming undone. When she turned her hazel eyes widened slightly as Danse, the man himself, stepped out from behind the armor he wore like a second skin. At six foot one, it was hard for him to look small, but he certainly did now as he approached her again. 

“So there is a person under there,” she couldn’t resist, and this time when he crushed her against him there was no teasing, just the lips she’d been missing for close to a month now. Sure they wrote back and forth, and radioed if they were within distance- though that meant his crew could listen in as well- but nothing beat the hard chest beneath her palm, or the arms that lifted her off her feet…and certainly not the tongue that swept her mouth. Her back hit one of the support beams, and she helped herself to a double handful of his ass. 

“Why are you so difficult to talk to,” he murmured against her cheek when they had to come up for air. 

“Would you have me any other way?”

“Mm, no.” Danse looked around again, and released her to take a step back. His cheeks flushed again as he adjusted the front of his jumpsuit, muttering about how flexible the fabric was under his breath. “Nothing to report, Soldier, I just…missed you.” 

“Mags! Come see this Tato, it’s shaped just like a-” Cait stopped just short of them, eyes on Danse. “Lookit the arse on you, no wonder she keeps you around soldier-boy.” She whistled admiringly, and slung an arm around Maggie to extend the vegetable in her hand while Danse was still trying to overcome his deer in the headlights look women, and not just a few men, found so endearing. It was only exacerbated by the phallic tuber in Cait’s hand. Maggie bit back a giggle, while Cait roared with laughter as he blushed. “Oh, come off it, nothin’ you ain’t seen before, eh?” She ribbed him. “Ah, you kids have fun. Go on Mags, show him the improvements yeh made on your house.” She winked at the other woman and wandered back around yelling about Preston and a comparison. 

“That woman…” Danse finally found the words, and Maggie just laughed as she took his hand and pulled him out into the street. He looked once over his shoulder, but she assured him the power armor was safe, and he did not give it another thought as they entered one of the more intact houses, one that Maggie had settled in herself. The ragged purr of the generator came from behind the house, but it was more of a comfort than anything now. The floors had been swept and cleared of debris, most of the holes in the walls patched with boards, and a light installed above the bed to give a weak pool of warm yellow light. There was also now a real bed frame in her room, along with a dresser and plush chair that she unloaded the rest of her leather armor pieces on. When she looked up he was just watching her from the doorway. 

“I don’t bite,” she smirked at him, but let him be and went on with her task until she stood in her sock feet, hands on hips. She let her body tilt backwards until it hit the bed, and a groan slipped out of her. “Preston’s been running my ass off. It seems like every time I turn around there’s a new settlement, or a group of Raiders, or improvements to be made. People are starting to gravitate as they hear the beacons, I can hardly keep up with all the new extensions I have to make. Don’t get me wrong I support him completely. As much work as I do he’s got it just as bad…there’s only the two of us…we’re looking for volunteers to train but the settlements are still so new they need every hand they have- and more.” She put a hand up to rub her eyes, and in the moment of darkness the bed bent slightly under his weight. He prompted her to sit up, and shifted backwards until he could rest on the wall. She laid her head back across his lap, and he released her hair from its tie to gently work knots out with his fingers. As he worked she told him about the rest of the settlements, and how defense had improved since the Knights took it as one of their duties to train the civilians. She looked up at him with a sideways smile. “Listen to me run my mouth. How are you?”

“I like listening to you,” he commented quietly. “You have a nice voice.”

“So do you, when you aren’t barking orders at me.” He tugged the piece of hair in his fingers and drew a giggle from her as her arm rose instinctively. He went back to combing her hair, and she studied him. A new bruise showed under his stubble, and he looked exhausted. She reached up to cup his cheek, and he leaned into the touch. “I missed you, Danse, a lot,” she sighed. “Sometimes I turn around to tell you something before I remember you’re with your team. Don’t get me started on sleeping alone.” 

“Don’t get me started,” he chuckled as he kissed her palm. “Knight Rhys just isn’t a cuddler.” She laughed so hard she choked and had to sit up, while he rubbed her back and waited for her to get her coughing under control again. 

“A warning, Paladin, before you employ your sense of humor,” she gasped. Maggie turned around then, and situated herself across his lap to wrap her arms around his neck. “Are you sleeping okay? Eating? Taking your Rad-X like a good soldier?” He kissed her as an answer, though there was hesitation before he moved his hands up her back. “You will be comfortable touching me, if it kills me,” she vowed with a sigh. 

“I am.” She put her hands on her hips, and he cupped her face. “Don’t give me your ‘The General’ face, it makes you look exhausted.” She leaned into his palms, and he let the motion continue until she rested her forehead against his. “Paladin Danse would like to inform you that rest is the most important part of a successful mission. How long has it been since you slept more than two or three hours? See? If you have to think about it, it’s been too long. Your focus is compromised and that leads to unacceptable errors.” He sighed and tipped up to kiss the scarred bridge of her nose. “Danse, just Danse, thinks you look like you need a hug and a nap.” A startled giggle burst out of her at his choice of words and he put his hands up. “That’s what Haylen always says, I guess it rubbed off. But you do.” 

“Will you be here when I wake up?”

“I will. You have my word as a Paladin.” 

“That’s a serious vow to make,” she laughed again, this time interrupted by a yawn. 

The next morning came all too soon. Danse slept soundly, arm thrown over his eyes as he snored away. Maggie shifted gently into a sitting position and stretched widely. With his solid warmth beside her the whole night through she had slept better than the last week combined. A gleam of steel caught her eye, and she sidled closer to her sleeping lover to examine the holotags on his chest. One held the usual information, his blood type, religion, full name…though the first name had been worn into nothing. The second made her lips part as she read the information there. At that moment Danse’s eyes fluttered open, and he smiled at her. 

“You have one of Arthur’s tags.” He snapped alert immediately and yanked the tags away to hold them in his fist. Tension flooded his limbs as he stared at her with a vaguely panicked look on his face. Maggie realized what she’d touched on, and waited for him to find the words. 

“We’ve been Brothers for a long time…and we were together for a time two years ago. It was short lived but intense, he needed an outlet for the pressure being an Elder put on him…I just needed human contact.” When he finally spoke he sat up, and his fingers relaxed to show the indentations where he’d gripped the tags too hard. She took his hand and soothed the red streaks away as she processed what he had just revealed. “Damn it. I don’t know why I even still have it, but he’s still got mine as well, I think. It’s hard to explain.” 

“I think I get it,” she laughed softly, and kissed his forehead, then his lips. “For such a growly man you really are a sweetheart.”

“And for someone so mule headed you really are quite reasonable.” 

“Excuse you!” 

They were wrestling a moment later when there was the sound of the front door opening. Maggie bolted out of bed immediately to bundle one of the blankets around her as she stepped into the hall, jamming the door closed behind her. Preston stopped in his tracks when he rounded the corner, and stuttered a little before he cleared his throat. 

“Excuse me General, but there’s an incoming vertibird. I don’t know if it’s for you or your Paladin, but I’d suggest you both be presentable by the time it gets here.” 

“Oh. Um, thanks Preston.” He snapped off a salute, still looking a little awkward, and retreated. She waited until the front door shut again before she went back to her room and started throwing clothing on. This time she wore her Brotherhood uniform, and twisted her hair into its usual severe bun. As she buckled her boots, propped up on the chair, she noticed Danse watching her, and winked at him. 

“Gotta love a woman in uniform. Hurry up, don’t want them to see you coming out of my place, they’ll think we’re up to something.” With that she beat a hasty path to the door before he could retort. 

“Soldier!” 

The vertibird was there for both of them, as it turned out, new orders from Maxson that would take them to the glowing sea. Maggie’s stomach twisted at the thought of that much radiation, even inside her power armor. It was strange how much she was coming to feel at home in the bulky suit. She could run, take jumps with ease, and even climbed up into the small carrier without assistance. The pilot gave her a thumbs up and she recognized him as the one who had pulled her out of a swamp when she stumbled on a jump to land head first. Her cheeks burned, but she just returned the gesture and motioned for him to take them up. Danse spent the trip checking and rechecking his rifle, while she chose to stare at the changing landscape beneath them. All too soon the sickening green hue took over the sky, and she began to hear the sporadic ticking of her Geiger counter. 

“I’m dropping you off at the edge,” the pilot told them both. “Scribe Haylen will give you the details.” Maggie waited until he held them steady over a small encampment before she jumped and landed squarely with an earth crunching thump. Danse’s landing rocked her on her feet a little, and the vertibird retreated. She turned in time for a familiar figure to skid to a halt in front of her. 

“Good to see you again Ma’am!” Haylen chirped with a bright grin. 

“Surviving without me?” Maggie laughed. She wanted to give her a hug, but restrained herself to a more formal demeanor for the audience around them. 

“We manage. I think Knight Rhys misses you, he doesn’t have anyone else to snipe at.” She curtailed her laughter as she looked at Danse for a salute. “Paladin, good to see you too.” 

“Haylen.” He nodded to her with what passed as an amiable tone. Obviously he was in full Paladin Mode, Maggie thought. “Now, you have details regarding our current mission?”

“Yes sir, if you’ll follow me?” 

***

Maggie barely set foot on the Prydwen again before one of the Initiates ran to her, obviously having been on the lookout for her arrival. He was grim faced for such a young boy, and saluted her stiffly. 

“Knight, the Elder is looking for you. Please report to him immediately.” 

“Of course, I was planning to,” she nodded. “The ammunition for Liberty Prime.” She jogged up the steps and into the command deck, where Maxson was waiting for her, a stern expression on his face. She saluted, and began her success report, but he cut her off with a sharp motion of his hand, and she felt misgiving creep into her mind as she waited for him to speak. 

“Is there something you want to tell me, Knight?” 

“Sir?”

“Anything you feel might endanger the Brotherhood- everything we’ve worked for?” His hand slammed into the window beside him, and startled her. “I repeat, Magnolia, do you have anything you’d like to share before I have you tried for treason!” 

“A-Arthur I don’t- I report everything…what is this about?” Despite being in power armor she backed up a step, trying to make herself shrink as previous experience told her to do when men started shouting. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He glared at her a tense second, then took a deep breath and composed himself. A hand swept over his immaculately groomed hair. 

“We’ve found irrefutable evidence that Paladin Danse is a synth. DNA matches are confirmed.” The floor dropped out from under her, and Maggie had to steady herself on the wall. As much as confusion was her first reaction, fear was immediately on its heels. She wracked her brain for ways to get a warning out to him without being detected. “It is an abomination. And as such it cannot be allowed to remain alive. I am ordering you to exterminate it.” 

“He’s been loyal,” she whispered numbly. “He’s your…he’s one of your best men. Is your trust gone that easily?” 

“It’s a synth. They only do what they’re programmed to do, the perfect soldier was the perfect cover. I will not repeat myself, Knight,” he spat out. There came the sound of running feet behind them, and Scribe Haylen burst into the conversation. 

“Elder.” She snapped a salute, then turned to Maggie. “I have information on Da- on the synth’s whereabouts. I’ll be happy to report them to you Ma’am, if you’ll follow me.” Maggie shut her mouth at the desperate look in the hazel eyes beneath her. Elder Maxson watched both of them closely until she nodded. 

“I’ll…obey. Haylen,” she motioned her to lead the way. 

It came as no great shock that Haylen took her to the underbelly of the airship to plead for Danse’s life, only to be cut off by Maggie scrambling out of her power armor to hug her tightly, if only to quell the shaking in her own body. Haylen clung to her just as tightly, a little terrified sob squeaking out of her. Maggie assured her time and again that she had no intention of following her orders, and took the information Haylen gave her. Listening Post Bravo. Basement level. Follow the hole in the wall past the caved in airlock. She got back into her armor and strode up the stairs with her heart in her mouth. 

Danse was not there when she arrived, but there was a duffel bag with a neatly folded Brotherhood uniform and his holotags on top of it. Fear seized her heart again, but she managed to record out a holotape in a warbling voice. She loved him, she wanted to help him, and if the Brotherhood wanted him they’d go through her first. She left the coordinates for one of her outposts on it and set it on top of the uniform. Hesitantly her fingers stole over the holotags, then closed around them as she walked out of the listening post, face hard. Maxson met her as she came out. She handed him the holotags and he took them, but stopped her with a hand on her chest plate. 

“Did you think this would be enough?” He murmured. 

“Did you think I would kill my lover?” She replied just as quietly. 

“I will not hear about this ever again, Maggie. Do not come back here, and if it is caught it will be shot on sight. The sentence extends to anyone found with it.” With that he strode away, and there was the distant whine of a vertibird. Maggie set a hard pace away from Listening Post Bravo and sent out a prayer to anyone who was listening that he was still alive. 

Her answer came a week later in the form of a scrap of paper Haylen slipped her in passing one day. She ducked into a corner to read it, and felt her throat close. Danse was alive, but the words were clinical, and there was no touch of warmth as he told her not to look for him. She excused herself from her company to the quarters Maxson had assigned her after the mission’s completion, though each time she stepped through the door she felt like screaming. Danse was written across every surface in the room. One corner was occupied by the power armor she could hardly stand to look at, much less wear. It still smelled like him- gun oil and whiskey and gum drops. Maggie dissolved the paper in her canteen, and went to the command deck where Maxson sat on one of the couches.

“Requesting permission for a field op, Elder.” He looked up at her, scanned her up and down. 

“There’s no need, our operations are full.” 

“Please, Sir.” His mouth thinned as he took in her expression, but he nodded shortly. 

"As you wish."


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let me breathe you in, and break the words in your mouth.  
> Inside your shivering, the silence shouts so loud.  
> I just want to, I just want to stay around,  
> And while my heart beats I promise I won't let you down.

“I don’t understand why he won’t just come home!”

“The man is going through hell right now.” Maggie felt the scowl lift from her face and she looked at Nick across the smoke filled room. There was understanding in the yellow eyes there, even sympathy, but his gaze was hooded. Belatedly, she realized she’d put her foot in her mouth again, as she had probably done with the man she’d fallen for. Rather than stumbling through another apology, what came out instead was a shaking breath and a quiet admittance of defeat. 

“I’m not handling this well.” She sucked down another lungful of smoke and the thought crossed her mind how much Danse hated that habit. A good soldier needed to be clear and free of distraction. And the one time she had tried on his power armor, mainly as a joke, Danse whined for a week about how he could still smell the smoke inside his helmet. The way his face creased, how his stern mouth pulled sideways in a line that couldn’t quite be called thin, not when he had lips like that. Maggie hunched over and threw the cigarette in the ash tray to put her face in her hands. A shudder took her. She couldn’t decide if she wanted to throw something or weep like a child. 

“Mags, he’s hurting,” Nick soothed from somewhere behind her after a soft shuffle of cloth. “You have to let him come to terms with it before he comes to you, if he does at all.” When she looked up again the Synth had quashed his cigarette in one of the ashtrays scattered everywhere, and was pulling his signature overcoat on. “Come on, moping around here isn’t doing anybody any good. I’ve got a case, missing girl who had a fight with her parents. Probably just ran off but someone has to go track her down before the Raiders or ferals find her.” Maggie stood, and extended the movement into a stretch that nearly grazed her knuckles on the low ceiling. 

One day at a time, she decided. Just one, and then she could figure out the next when it came. They always did, and she always managed, but she no longer stayed out late to watch the sun set, and she no longer woke at dawn because there was no insistent clanking to remind her that her partner was up with the sun for training exercises. Preston looked almost surprised to see her back in Sanctuary to stay, but welcomed her with open arms and a workload that would stagger a brahmin. That was what she needed, to run herself into the ground and collapse in bed at night, to repeat in the morning. Gradually the ache in her chest eased. The people of her settlements loved her. Any set of extra hands was welcome in such a harsh environment. She wavered between locations week to week, fixing power and teaching them how to tend their crops- though a lot of her teaching was muddling through old world texts and figuring things out by trial and error with them. Still, that the General was willing to get her hands dirty and pitch in bought her credit with the more suspicious settlers, and brought her to idolization with the settlements she was already in good standing with. Once or twice she caught the sharp patter of gunfire, or the whirling engines of a vertibird, but she steered clear of them where possible. The situation with the Brotherhood- and Maxson- was something she filed in the box marked “Later” and tried hard not to think about. Losing one of them was awful, gut wrenching, exhausting to work through. If she thought about losing both of them…Maggie was never completely sure she would be able to do anything but lay down somewhere and wait for a Feral to find her. When she could not avoid the Brotherhood she was civil but distant, and she outright ignored requests to come back to the Prydwen to speak with Elder Maxson.

“General! General Maggie!” Maggie dropped the rake in her hand and whipped Justice out over her shoulder as she went running towards the sound of the cries around the house. Two of the children crowded around a weather worn man in courier’s clothing, excited by a new face that wasn’t shooting at them. She huffed a short breath and put her weapon back to approach with a friendly grin. “Says he got a message for you an’ it’s important!”

“Next time maybe just come get me, I thought it was Raiders again,” she chuckled as she ruffled the boy’s hair and accepted the letter. The courier tipped his hat and went to find some food, but she was already perusing the letter. Nick, usually never one to beat around the bush, wrote for a page and a half about nothing until he finally got to the real news. Ice sloped down her back and the world suddenly reduced to the succinct closing sentence. 

He’s back, but he doesn’t want to see you.

“Like hell he’s gonna get away with that!” She barked out loud, voice harsh. “Evan you tell your ma and pa I had something urgent come up. I got the generator running, all that’s left to be done is installing the flood lights. Good boy.” She dropped her Minuteman tricorn on the boy’s head and sent them both off running again. God, to have that much energy. Nowadays more often than not she woke with even her muscular body aching. She tucked the letter in her pocket and went in search of supplies. In a short hour she made sure Justice was powered and ready to go before she set out into the trees. Going off half cocked was a specialty of hers, but she always made sure to be prepared for the consequences. Brotherhood training, the thought soured her mouth with a grimace.

It was close to midnight in Diamond City, and raining lightly. Nat ran to meet her with a grin and threw her arms around her chest, and she allowed the moment of distraction to rib Nat about her printing press. She handed Maggie a copy of the paper with a curious look. So she knew. The older woman deftly avoided her incoming questions and made her way around the corner. The closer she got to Nick Valentine’s glowing sign, the harder her heart pounded. She went for the door knob, but something made her lift a hand to knock instead. Piper opened the door, on her face the fierce expression she usually reserved for those who scoffed at her stories. She blocked the entrance with her short frame, hands on hips, but it was too late. Maggie could see who was frozen in his chair just past her, and nothing was stopping her from getting in the room now. Maggie picked Piper up, set her on her feet to one side, and ignored her squawk of protest as she stepped in and shut the door. 

“Hey!” She caught her shoulder and gave her a good shove, not that it knocked her more than a step sideways. Then the reporter was up in her face. “Don’t you dare come in here angry! I may not like the guy but he’s still my friend and he was yours too! Now he’s had a hell of a past few weeks and-”

“What’s all the yelling in here?” Nick emerged from the back, a file folder in hand. He took the situation in, and came to put himself between them as well. “I didn’t send you that letter so you could come in here and make a scene. I just thought it prudent to let you know.” 

“Danse,” Maggie murmured. Between the detective and the reporter she couldn’t see much more than a pair of boots sprawled on the floor. “Please.” Ever the people reader, Nick lost his defensive position, and pulled Piper to one side as well. When she protested they stepped around the corner to have a quiet argument. Maggie hit her knees in front of the hunched figure. “Look at me,” she pleaded hoarsely. Soft brown eyes lifted slowly to hers, full of so much pain Maggie had to touch him. 

“Don’t. I’m- I’m not the man you fell in love with,” he finally spoke, and withdrew his hand. 

“That’s bullshit!” The outburst startled them both, and Piper’s head swiveled around the corner to glare at her. This was not lost on Danse, who let out a bitter laugh. 

“I’m a Synth. Everything I was, everything I stood for, was a lie. I don’t deserve any of this, much less you. I’m an abomination.”

“You’re human,” Maggie ground out, and took his hand anyway to press them both over his chest. “This is what I fell in love with,” she murmured. Somewhere around the corner Nick sighed and hauled Piper back again. “This big heart of yours, and the way you care about things so hard it scares me sometimes, how devoted you are to your morals. I know you’re…you’re confused, but let me help you figure it out. Please don’t run from me.” Danse chewed his lip, a pensive gesture that rarely would have come from the old him, the solid Brotherhood of Steel Danse. This Danse was completely new, uncertain and trembling now. Stubble dusted his jaw and there were deep rings of purple around both eyes. Maggie gave in to her base urge and pulled the unresisting form forward to wrap her arms around him. Once Danse hugged her back neither of them could stop for a long time. 

“They were so quick to help,” Danse said in a small voice. “I had no right to ask but they were so kind to me.” 

“Yeah, I keep telling you I have better taste than you give me credit for.” Laughter coughed out of him, rusty from disuse, and Danse pulled back to kiss her long and slow. 

It was only later that Maggie learned the pieces of the story she’d missed. Danse showed up three weeks earlier, drunk and pleading, half slurred, for Nick to help him. The detective brought him in, bathed, fed, and sobered him up. He was there as a listening ear but the big man was quiet. It took days for him to lose the shell shocked look on his face. Piper, nosy as she was, wanted to talk to him immediately, but Nick put a stern curtail on that, and that night she returned with noodles for all of them, and a story to make them laugh. Finally Danse came alive again, though still reserved. Nothing like tonight. They all sat crammed into Nick’s tiny office and Danse couldn’t stop looking at Maggie with the sad puppy eyes that usually made her want to kiss him senseless. They were a weapon in the man’s arsenal not often used, right up there with the skintight power suit he wore, though at the moment it was covered by leather armor pieces. The two sat close, always touching at some point of contact, hands linked together. 

In the weeks following their reunion Maggie adjusted to living in the city again, though it was not as simple to adjust to her partner. Danse barely slept at all for days, and then let it all catch up at once. He ate when she told him to, and bathed when prompted, but recovery was slow. Sometimes she woke in the night with him holding her so hard it hurt, clutching her with fearful whimpers that wrenched at her. At least he was gaining weight again with regular maintenance, and she was gradually training him into a more normal sleep schedule. He followed her everywhere, a silent shadow that clung to her hands, or her rifle strap, or the belt she took to wearing so she could have her hands free. When they stopped he pressed in close to her. Maggie was patient with him, and reassured him every chance she got that she was not going anywhere. Now that he had her once more, he seemed terrified to be left alone again. Surprisingly Piper was a great deal of help when it came to the big man. She was always there to fill the silence, and could coax him out of his shell every so often with one of her outrageous stories. She took to calling him Blue Two, and it stuck just as well as Maggie’s nickname did. He even smiled a little when she called him that. 

After about two months Maggie began receiving transmissions from the Prydwen. She ignored every one of them, and destroyed the holotapes as soon as they were in her hands. Danse watched silently from his usual place behind her. That was a healing thing, it appeared. A silent reassurance- she was his, and his only. He stopped clutching at her so much, sometimes he joked back and forth with Piper, and she was even able to leave him alone for short runs to get food. Things were going well, until one morning approaching three months past their betrayal. She left Danse asleep in their bed and crept downstairs for coffee, and was startled by a knock on the door. When she hurried over it was a courier, one that looked vaguely familiar. Brotherhood. Her mouth thinned as she snapped the package from him, surprised to see that it was an actual letter…addressed from Elder Maxson. She shut the door absently, a pit of ice in her belly as she tore it open.

The letter was short and to the point. Maxson was in the area. Either Maggie met him in the location he chose, or he would come find her and they would talk regardless. White hot fury bubbled up, fingers clenched so tightly around the paper it nearly tore before she took a deep breath and smoothed it out once more against her thigh. Danse appeared downstairs in nothing but his boxer briefs and a thin white tank top so worn it showed through in some places. He yawned, but became more alert when he saw her expression. Maggie never had been any good at holding a poker face. She relinquished the letter without him asking, and watched him furrow his brows.

“Arthur never was one to ask politely,” he muttered, and rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s the way he is, has to be, in order to maintain the respect of the crew.” 

“If he comes near you I’ll kill him,” she snarled in response, and Danse just shook his head. 

“Maggie, he’s your friend. Go talk to him, okay? Can you do that for me?” When she opened her mouth to protest she looked at him, really looked for the first time that morning. He’d lost the shadows beneath his eyes, gained a little weight, and right now he looked the definition of soft with his hair tousled from sleep. But his eyes were tired, and he held himself like he was afraid to move too quickly. This was the first direct request since he came back.

“Danse I’m sorry. I didn’t think…you lost your brother. I’m sorry.” She slipped her arms around his neck and tilted her forehead against his. “I’ll meet him. I just- I can’t lose you again. I wouldn’t survive it.” 

“And I would?” He pulled a hand around to tangle their fingers and kiss the back of her knuckles, covered in tiny star bursts of scars from fights long past. “I miss him. As much as it hurt to run from you….he and I have been together for years, it felt like I was missing a whole piece of me.” Danse tipped her chin up for a kiss, but remained a breath away. There was fresh pain behind the lidded eyes that met hers, and an unspoken question that made an acid spike of anger surge in her belly. She withdrew from his grasp and left him with air beneath his hands, fingers curled tight in the sudden absence. He automatically took a step forward seeking comfort. Maggie remained where she was. 

“Stay where you are.” She hated the tone that came out of her mouth but it drew the response she was seeking. He snapped upright, years of muscle memory reacting to the auditory cue that shouted “superior officer” and made him stand at parade rest. “You will let me take point on this, am I clear? I will not have our position compromised because you let personal feelings interfere. Your-” Her throat tightened. “Your orders are to stay here, hold our fortifications until I return.” 

“Yes…Sentinel.” Her chest ached seeing the expression on his face. She cut him off before the next words spilled out of his mouth and smothered them under her own lips. They tumbled back against the wall, his arms around her so tightly it bruised her ribs, her blunt fingers digging into his back. 

“Let me do this,” she pleaded. “Let me make it safe for you but never, ever go back to them.”

“It’s all I know how to do,” he sobbed against her neck. “You can’t understand.” 

“Then help me! Don’t make me give you orders- recreate that- just for you to listen to me.” She cupped his face, gripped the sides of his hair, until he nodded, still crying, still shaking like he hadn’t done in weeks. They hit the floor and she folded herself around him like a shelter. She rocked her soldier until he was quiet, gripping her arms, head at the crook of her shoulder. That was how Nick found them when he stepped in the front door some time later. He stopped immediately, but she motioned him in. 

“It’s been a rough morning,” she said, hoarse from crying. 

“I need to talk to you outside then.” Maggie slowly disentangled herself and left Danse on the floor, though his fingers trailed her arm until she was no longer in reach. 

Maggie shut down the sympathetic look the detective gave her with a short shake of her head and produced a cigarette for them both. Then she stood in silence as Nick detailed a report that had come in from one of his sources. A Brotherhood fortification point, some few miles away. They shut down a whole apartment complex for their main camp, and were cleaning out Raiders faster than the disorganized miscreants could rally themselves. It appeared that they were sweeping in a circle, but that circle got a little wider each day, closer to Diamond City. She flicked the spent filter away and leaned against the wall of the house as she handed him the message that had been delivered that morning. Synth faces were hard to read, but his tone wasn’t as Nick spat out a resigned curse. 

“Well, Mags, if you want my opinion as a detective I’d say you better meet him before he comes to you. This is your turf but at the moment I think it’s better to give a little, in light of the circumstances- like the one in the house right now. Take someone neutral for back up, maybe agree to somewhere within shouting distance of the wall guards. He wants it to be on his terms, but make it clear that it’s not happening unless he meets yours first. Now, on the other hand, you want my opinion as a friend, he can stick it where the sun doesn’t shine. I never had much fondness for the Brotherhood- and that's unrelated to me being me.” That and his dry gesture to the split side of his face coaxed a laugh out of her, and she rubbed a hand down her own cheek as she nodded. 

“Yeah. Yeah, okay. Solid plan. Thanks Nick, you've got the best advice."

"That's what they pay me for kiddo.” She took a deep breath, and then went to flag down a courier. The one from earlier was still hanging around the market, and looked quite ready to run as she barked out a call for him to wait. He took down her message on a small handheld screen and accepted a few caps before he jogged up the steps and disappeared from view. Maggie rubbed the heel of her hand against the dull ache in her forehead and hurried back to Home Plate, half afraid of what she would find inside. 

Her fears turned out mostly unfounded. Danse was dressed in his grimy tank top and jeans now, and hard at work in the garage where she kept a suit of power armor she’d found somewhere. Originally she’d brought it home intending to fix it up, but it had sat neglected for as long as they’d been there. There was single minded intensity on his face as he fiddled with wiring, so she only got him a cold drink and kissed the top of his head before she went upstairs. She couldn’t really show up in power armor to this meeting- it would send a message she wasn’t sure she wanted to, and besides there was no time to get her better suit from Sanctuary- but that didn’t mean she was going in naked. As she rifled through her collection of armor she mused who she might take with her to this ill fated meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not really based on anything other than personal experience. I know that sometimes emotional trauma can make you do some strange things, and I know that when I'm having a really bad stretch of anxiety or intrusive thoughts I need to be touched. It's a grounding thing for me, like this is real and all the other stuff is not. While this is a bit more serious I see Danse as the kind of person who clings to anything that stops him from pinwheeling through space. He needs stability because that's what the Brotherhood provided, and that source is now unavailable.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weren't we like a pair of thieves,  
> With tumbled locks and broken codes.  
> You cannot take that from me.  
> My small reprieves,  
> Your heart of gold,  
> Weren't we like a battlefield.  
> Locked inside a holy war,  
> Your love and my due diligence.  
> The only thing worth fighting for.

In contrast to the solemn meeting going on in the street below, the sun shone brightly on a crisp fall day, and the very air crackled around them. It wasn’t quite cold enough to snap, but it did make the nervous puffs of smoke emerging between her lips that much clearer. Maggie sucked at her cigarette as she scouted the area. Mostly it was habitual, she knew the area had been cleared by Brotherhood, and nothing dared stir here again so soon. Instead of her usual high power rifle she carried nothing but a pistol and an automatic saber on her back; her armor was one of her better studded leather sets over a plain tee and jeans that fit well enough. She’d gone looking for help from the Minuteman settlement nearby and come away with a teenager barely over eighteen that could hit a can off a stump with no scope at a hundred yards…and an older man who gave off an air of authority and carried a rifle probably as old as she was. They flanked her as she came to a stop in the middle of the ruined street. Maggie spat her spent cigarette away and surveyed the tall buildings around them. A gleam of silver caught her eye in a window, and she tensed. 

“If you’re going to shoot me can you get it over with?” She called with more bravery than she felt. Tension crawled up her spine with awareness that he could do just that. “I thought you just wanted to talk.” 

“I know better than to come unarmed.” Arthur emerged from the building to her left, stretched out stiff limbs as he went. He hardly acknowledged the two weapons fixed on his chest as her entourage shifted into a more defensive position. The older man was the first to spot the Knight above, and trained his gun up instead of at the man in front. “I do want to talk, Maggie,” Arthur murmured. “And I wish you had a little more faith that I would not shoot you in the back.” Her jaw ground tightly against the anger that surged to the forefront of her mind. What about Danse? What did he call that? 

“Stand down,” she said over her shoulder. “Please. We’re more civil than this.” 

“Yes General.” 

“But-”

“Do as she says boy,” the older man growled as he let his rifle drop, though he did not put it away completely. His younger counterpart sighed but obeyed. Arthur gave no such order, and she remained on edge. Being the bigger person here might well get all three of them killed. 

“I gave you leave for a ground mission, soldier. You have been reported AWOL and my crew is suddenly beginning to wonder why two of my best have abandoned ship just like that. Would you care to explain yourself, Sentinel?” 

“Oh, so you do count Danse as yours still?” The words were out before she could stop them. Maggie rolled the pistol in her hands, eyes on the dull gleam of metal in her palms. When she looked up again Arthur held himself at the same readiness she did. He pulled himself to his full height but she cut off the next thing he was about to say with a bark of harsh laughter. “Even after you throw them away…still your toys huh. I did abandon ship, something I never would have done in my old unit. Do you know why? My commanding officer trusted me with his life, and I trusted him right back. That man was on my side to the bloody end. If we made a mistake, he heard us out before he passed snap decisions, and he recognized that humans make mistakes.” 

“This is a little more than a mistake,” Arthur caught himself with an unreadable expression. “My personal feelings on the matter are irrelevant.” 

“He misses you. After everything you did to him, that man loves you…loves the Brotherhood just as much as before. I have to remind him to run away from downed vertibirds because anyone conscious might fucking SHOOT him! His brothers and sisters, Arthur!” She took a steadying breath to regain composure, and felt a hand squeeze her shoulder from behind. The action was grounding and comforting at the same time. She needed to stay on track. “If you continue on this path you are going to tear the entire Commonwealth apart.”

“I’m aware of that,” he murmured. Her head snapped up, uncertain at the turn this had taken. “Please listen to me Maggie, I’ve made a...a misjudgment.” She stared at him, and his jaw ticked. “I let anger and years of ingrained rhetoric influence me into blindness. The Brotherhood must change if we expect to survive, our fight with the Railroad showed us that. It may take another decade to bring us around, some may never come at all but there will not be an earth left if we continue tearing at each other any longer. It is not, and has never been, the intention of the Brotherhood of Steel to bring down another apocalypse. There must be another solution.” He closed the distance between them to stroke her cheek, and ran a thumb under her wondering eyes. “It was never my intention to hurt you as deeply as I did Maggie, and Danse, well, I am not even sure where to begin with that. It is a lot to work through. My actions were reprehensible as a friend and- but I know you understand my position as a leader. We must present a strong front. I am still trying to understand.” 

“Arthur.” Maggie closed her eyes and took a step back from him. “The damage you’ve done, I’m not sure there’s a way to repair it. You didn’t see him when he finally came back. Danse was in pieces, he still is, and my first focus needs to be keeping him together right now. You were my mentor, one of my best friends. I loved you. I don’t know if I still do and I’m willing to consider it, but Danse is my priority.” When she looked up again his face was stoic, but she could see a light wave of tenseness pass over him. 

“You know where to find me.”

“And now so do you.” Her eyes narrowed. “Follow us again…there will not be a second chance for you. Ever.” Her fist pounded across her chest. “Ad victoriam, Elder…and goodbye.” He returned the gesture, but before he could repeat the sentiment his lips parted, eyes fixed just over her shoulder. She whipped around and ran to tackle Danse behind a barrier. Gunfire spurted across the courtyard, Maxson’s shouting drowned by the crashes of two Brotherhood Knights in full armor landing. Maggie shoved Danse down to keep him there and made a mad dash for the melee, already strapping the stealth boy to her wrist. She moved in flickers of disturbed air to jam her pistol into the armpit of one Knight. Two shots later she shoved with her whole body and the downed Knight crushed his Sister, caught unawares. Maggie grabbed the shell shocked Minuteman youth by the collar and struck him hard across the face. 

“Get him up! We need to move!” He supported the older man away and she helped the best she could. One last look over her shoulder showed Maxson standing at the edge of the courtyard with a stunned expression on his face. Her stealth boy flickered out, and she aimed down her arm, then pulled to holster it, unwilling to spill more blood than already tainted the air.

“This is what your training has done,” she called out, and dragged Danse up as well to complete the escape. 

Once a safe distance away she laid the older man out on the street in an alley and pulled his hands away from his bleeding midsection. 

“I am starting to think you have a death wish!” She bit out as she jerked the stimpack out of Danse’ unresisting fingers. “And while I can work around that when we are alone you put us all in danger today! I don’t give a shit whether that Knight lives or dies at the moment but I’ve got one of my men bleeding out in my hands because of you.” The stimpack worked slowly, and she got a blood pack in him as well for good measure. “I love you, but if you ever do that again, you’re on your own.” Her eyes met his- one set steel, the other wide with shock. Danse didn’t quite know what to say to that, and she resisted the urge to shove him for good measure. 

“H-he didn’t even get a chance to shoot back…he didn’t see you comin’.” She looked up at the young man. He sat sprawled on the ground with both hands loosely draped over his thighs. She swore internally as she realized she’d managed to find someone with no real combat experience. At such close range he looked even younger, bone white with wide brown eyes. His elder coughed a little as he sat up, and the first thing the man did was grab his companion’s knee in a gruff squeeze…and then glare hard at Danse the way only an experienced soldier could. 

“Ought to keep that idiot boy’a yours on a leash,” he grunted as he felt around his stomach gingerly. He gestured to the pack in her front pocket and she surrendered a cigarette while she rubbed her temples. 

“Don’t tempt me. That was a complete disaster. As soon as you’re able we should get going, I don’t know how Maxson is going to handle that and we need to warn the city as well as the settlements that there may be retaliation.”

“I didn’t hear him give the order.” 

“Danse if that is hope in your voice I’ll- I don’t know,” she sighed through her threat as she checked her weapon and stood. She couldn’t meet his eyes as she helped her companions up. “It’s a standing order. Shoot on sight.” Danse cringed a little and didn’t say much for the rest of the tense journey home. She left him with the detective agency and headed straight out again. It took hours for the frown to wear off her face, and she didn’t manage to fully relax until the gates of Goodneighbor came into view shortly before dusk. She got in with no trouble, shouted a quick hello to Daisy, and headed for the statehouse.

Hancock greeted her warmly enough, but chose to sit across from her rather than beside her, and she abruptly felt the distance between them that much more sharply. Maggie took a deep breath and laid the afternoon’s events out, feeling more and more like just another citizen bringing her troubles to the Mayor. The ghoul nodded in the appropriate places as he crunched through a few Mentats. His bodyguard, ever present, paced behind the couch to watch them. For a long time he didn’t say anything.

“I just wanna know how far you’re willin’ to go for your pet soldier, Sunshine.” Her eyes lifted warily to Hancock’s. The ghoul still affected his usual lounging posture, Jet inhaler in the hand that idly swung circles through the still air in the statehouse. It was no secret he had an intense dislike of Danse, and outright hated the Brotherhood, especially after the attack that scattered the Railroad to a few survivors hiding out in the Wasteland. She hadn’t even thought of what he might feel towards her, but she hadn’t woken up dead yet so she opted to let things fall where they may. His eyes gleamed from under his hat as he contemplated her. Maggie’s gaze lifted to the fact that Fahrenheit now stood directly behind him. “I know exactly what kinda loyalty you got for your people,” Hancock went on. “And ordinarily I’m glad to call you my friend but you’re different lately. Spread out too thin, pulling yourself too many directions…all for that piece of synth ass that, while very nice to look at, has pretty much become useless since his little meltdown.” Maggie scowled at him. “Hey I’m just sayin’ what we’re all thinkin’ sweetheart. You got some big choices headed your way. What’s it gonna be? How far are you willing to go?” He repeated his earlier question. 

“I don’t know,” she murmured finally. “He’s- Danse is complicated.” 

“I could step in a puddle of him and not get my boots wet,” snorted the woman behind the couch. Hancock snickered past his inhaler as he took another hit. 

“The situation involving Danse is complicated, then,” Maggie ground out between her teeth. She clenched too hard and broke her cigarette so she threw it aside and leaned forward to dangle her hands between her knees. “I can’t take on the whole Brotherhood by myself, and I wouldn’t even think of involving the Minutemen or anyone here. But I can’t just give him over, they’d shoot him before I let go of his hand. The only thing stopping them shooting me is my rank, I think. And the few who have some loyalty to me.”

“First bit of common sense I’ve seen come out of you,” Hancock commented. “I’m flattered you came to me but I think Nicky might give better advice. Don’t tell him I said that.” 

“I needed to get out of Diamond City.”

“Fair enough. Tell ya what Sunshine, you oughta get him away from everything here. Hide him in some settlement. Then you can deal with the Brotherhood without worryin’ about who’s home with the baby makin’ sure he don’t burn the house down.” 

“I…suppose he hasn’t offended the Abernathy’s too badly,” Maggie mused, and Hancock grinned at her. 

“Hey, you can’t belt ‘em, I’m all in favor of putting troublemakers to work. At least they’ll run him to the ground so he can’t think of any other ways to get you killed.” 

Maggie arrived home around dusk two days later, having spent most of the day making various arrangements. She sent a message out to the Abernathy farm, and two others as a contingency plan. Then it was a brief stop to check in with the older man who had been injured. He was, as expected, too hard headed to be down for long at all, and was manning one of the guard posts when she stopped by. Maggie finally headed home and spent most of the walk convincing herself she hadn’t just been avoiding Danse. Her stomach lurched a little as she passed through the gates, but ever stubborn she pressed on. She let herself into Home Plate and almost dropped her gun when she saw Danse waiting for her. The silence in the house told her they were alone, a rare occurrence in its own right. He was curled up sideways on the couch, dozing. The hand that rested across his chest curled lightly around his holotags. A pang hit her chest all at once and she undressed down to her vault suit quietly before filling the small gap between his body and the back of the couch. After a few moments his free hand came up to stroke the back of her head. 

“I’m sorry, Magnolia,” he murmured. “You have run yourself ragged keeping me alive, and I have been completely ungrateful.” 

“You know I’ll always forgive you,” she sighed quietly. Her fingers traced the edge of his holotags. 

“That does not mean I should abuse the privilege! From now on I’ll be more help, the way I’m supposed to support the most important woman in my life.” Danse tipped her chin up, and Maggie accepted the kiss. The soft press of lips grew more insistent, and she shifted further on top of him to put her at a better angle. He unzipped her suit to pull it down around her hips, and a soft noise escaped her when he cupped both of her breasts. “You are the one constant in my life, and I love you for it now more than ever.” He pulled her in for more of the intoxicating drag of her lips. She rolled her hips down against his, grinding against the growing erection in his pants. Danse moved his lips down her throat to coax a purr out of her. She gripped his hair to hold him in close with one hand, raking light nails down his bare chest. Desperate arousal clutched at her, starved for touch far too long. When he bit her she whimpered and squirmed in his lap until a hard thigh came up between hers to still her motions. 

“Th-this isn’t the best place-” She choked out as she rode his thigh. “Not enough room.” 

“Plenty for what we’re doing,” he growled against the soft skin beneath her ear. Maggie rocked and writhed against his thigh, finding the stimulation she needed. He rolled her nipples and pinched suddenly. She dropped her face against the arm of the couch and muffled her cry. He chose a spot on her neck to suck while he continued to maul her breasts in an entirely pleasing fashion. Friction rolled up her body in waves, the movements of her hips coming faster, more desperately, breath shaking with each exhale. Each thrust against him. His fingers dug into her breasts to twist. Her own hands flexed helplessly against his biceps, only to dig blunt nails in tight with a gasp as her orgasm finally crashed over her. Her back arched, thighs clenched around his, a mixture of curses and his name slipping between her lips. 

“God, Danse…god…damn it.” She came down to relax against him, trembling a little. “What am I going to do with you? I’d tear the whole damn sky down for you, feels like I’m trying to right now.” She didn’t realize she was crying until his arms came up around her, and for some time all she could do was sob into his chest. Every solution she came up with seemed so temporary, and every problem, so looming, that she could only scream into the cosmos and swear on the entire Commonwealth that she was not going to have anything else taken away from her.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't tell me that I'm wrong,  
> I've walked that road before,  
> And left you on your own.  
> And please believe them when they say,  
> That it's left for yesterday.  
> And the records that I've played...  
> Please forgive me for all I've done.

“Maggie, do you trust me?” 

“Without question.” They lay side by side in bed, surrounded by blankets and the soothing darkness of their shack on the Abernathy farm’s property. The family’s farm had extended in the year since Maggie arrived, and now served as a major trade hub. Consequently she owned a house there, and it was where Danse lived now. Maggie sat up against the headboard, a cigarette between her lips. She accepted a lot of things about Danse, but it still threw her off when he asked for a cigarette with her. By the look on his face he didn’t particularly enjoy it, but he did it mechanically and she was not about to question his self soothing methods if they kept him happy. Danse lay halfway across her lap, reaching out ever so often to tap his cigarette against the ash tray on the side table. Her hands stroked up and down his back, covered in angry welts from her nails. “Why?” 

“What happened to without question?” She pinched his arm and he rocked his shoulder into her. “I trust you. Which is why I’m going to ask this, and if it is something you don’t feel like you can do, I will not bring it up again.” 

“Lord what is it now,” she let out an overly dramatic sigh, but kissed the top of his head. He made a little humming noise and poked his cigarette out. “Danse I was kidding, I’m sorry, I’ll be quiet. Really, what did you want to ask?” He remained quiet, and she tilted sideways a little so she could see his face. The former Paladin was serious, pensive even. “Danse…” 

“How long are you going to keep this up?” He finally asked. “I…have been thinking.” Lead dropped into her belly, and Maggie flattened both palms against his back to keep the tremble out of them. “You should go back to the Prydwen.” Her eyes dropped shut as the breath crushed from her lungs. He went on as she tried to quell the rising tide of utter fright. “I like it here, as well as I can. Preston Garvey has been kind to me, I think I could do some real good with the Minutemen…get them into some form of order…he said I was welcome at the Castle. If I was quiet, the Brotherhood does not bother the Minutemen there. I could live there. But you’re high profile, and Arthur will come find you if you don’t report back. If he doesn’t the Scribes will- they’re relentless.” A humorless laugh escaped. When she didn’t say anything, Danse lifted his body to sit up, knee against her thigh. He took her hands in his and gave her an imploring look. “I’m trying to find a solution.” 

“This is a solution.” He sighed, and she took her hands away to run them through her hair. “We’re fine-”

“No! We aren’t!” He snapped back. “I’m having a hard enough time learning who I am, what I am, without having to look over my shoulder every minute for men and women I lived with my whole life!”

“You aren’t the only one who lost a family!” Her voice rose as she got out of bed to start throwing clothes on. “I’m trying, Danse, every minute of my day is spent keeping you alive.” 

“Which is why I made the suggestion,” he gestured angrily at the door. “I leave, you go back to the Brotherhood-”

“And we never see each other again!” Maggie shouted. The silence that fell after was broken and sharp. Her angrily balled hands fell flat at her side as she stared at him. Danse opened his mouth, shut it again stubbornly, and rolled over to pull the blankets up over his shoulder. Maggie swung her coat on and left, making sure to close the door smartly. She stalked into the night and found herself in the hills before too long. The flare gun still sat in her pack, long unused. She snapped a flare into it and waited until she was near one of the underpasses before she fired it. Maggie made sure she was presentable- and didn’t just look like she’d been crying- before the familiar whine of heavy engines reached her. A ladder unfurled and she stepped up, climbing to the vertibird as it swung back home. She glanced backward at the faint light of the farm before focusing forward. 

“Sentinel.” As expected his first reaction was to be read in the tight lines around his mouth and the way he held himself to demand submission to his authority. Maggie made a study of the window just over his shoulder. “Maggie…” His next reaction came from the soft place in his eyes as he looked her up and down. 

“Your escorts. Did they survive?” 

“Of course. I would have sent for you before now if either of them died,” he bit out a humorless laugh, and drew his role in around him. Neither knew where to stand, the Brotherhood in all its order was familiar ground even if it was just as unsteady, but this was far outside its precedents. “I’ve been made aware that Scribe Haylen is commandeering a vertibird every so often, and no one is able to locate her for a day or two.”

“I can not do this Arthur.” He looked up startled. Maggie wiped a hand down her face, and bit her lip against tears. “I can’t. I can’t watch my second family tear itself apart. Don’t make me. Six months ago I would have followed you anywhere, just like he would have…still will. I need the Brotherhood. And I need you, but that is…complex.” 

“No, no I understand,” he murmured. He hesitated, but reached over to lace his fingers with hers. “I miss you Maggie.” He tilted her chin up-

“Elder Maxson!” The Initiate backpedaled furiously, but did not leave the room. Instead his eyes just shot skyward as they reformed their positions to a more professional demeanor. The report was short, but urgent. They’d located a way to get into the Institute. Cambridge Labs. The massive killing machine outside the Prydwen was ready to go. And they all needed orders. In that instant all semblance of personal grievances were swept aside. 

“Sir, I can mobilize the Minutemen for extra firepower, should you require it.”

“Gather, but hold on standby until I give the order. Maintain radio contact. Initiate, send word that I will meet everyone on the ground. We need to move fast, while the element of surprise is still with us.” The boy ran back the way he’d come, and Elder Maxson only paused long enough to squeeze her hand and kiss her cheek before he was gone. She hardly waited for the boom of his voice to fade before she was on his heels to catch a vertibird to the ground. She fiddled with her Pipboy to give her access to the Minuteman radio and sent a broadcast out with their new orders, directing the pilot back to the Abernathy farm. As a second thought she sent out another broadcast to repeat after the first. Anyone in a twenty mile radius of Cambridge Labs should get as far away as time would allow. 

She hit the ground running and met a half formed group of confused settlers. Several were armed, but the majority were barely dressed. Maggie barked orders as she headed for her house. Everyone who could hold their own in a fight would gather and she could then split them out into teams. When she rounded the corner she felt something with teeth squeeze at her internal organs. Her power armor stood in Bay One, but Bay Two was starkly empty. When she entered the house, all she could seem to see were the absent places where his things had been. She came out again, and forced her mind forward. Preston’s voice crackled over the radio, half heard, and she stepped up into her power armor in order to make use of the better reception. 

“Talk to me General.” 

“We found the Institute.” She rubbed her temples and took a deep breath. “Preston, I know you disagree with the Brotherhood. I promise you, I give my word, that I am not sending our people as cannon fodder. We need to stand together. This is a bigger threat than both of us, even if Elder Maxson doesn’t want to recognize that fact.” There was the soft crackle-pop of static for so long she was worried she lost the feed. Then, a resigned sigh. 

“I know, and I trust you Maggie. I’m organizing my Minutemen into groups, I’m not sure how many we can spare, my first priority is our settlements and the second is the artillery.”

“That’ll be the most helpful, follow that plan. I’ll make sure we’re ready to mobilize in teams. I don’t know when Arthur might need us, I have to keep that channel open, but I’m going to have someone tuned to Radio Freedom if you need me. Good luck.” 

“You too General.” Maggie flipped the radio over to the Prydwen’s frequency and turned it loud enough to hear as she pulled together armor and weapons. Minutemen and settlers alike were in and out to get themselves outfitted as needed. On board the airship Elder Maxson and his generals traded orders back and forth. When she finally donned her power armor for good it was near dawn, and the radio was silent. She met her selected team and signaled for the vertibird. They managed to fit in among two other Knights and a few Initiates. Some of them clutched weapons with white knuckles and chattered excitedly. Others, the ones who had been in a firefight before, counted bullets and cartridges and stayed silent. 

“Sentinel Magnolia.” 

“Coming in hot with six Minutemen on aircraft 27, Elder.” 

“Good. We’ve broken through. You’ll be joining us in the final assault.” 

“Acknowledged, thank you Elder.” She looked over her team, men and women who chose to follow her with unwavering loyalty. Her gaze shifted to the ground below as they swung into view of the ruins. White bodies littered the ground, glittering in the early morning light. A large crater had been blown, leading to a tunnel where a large fighting force was gathered. The vertibird dropped them at the edge of the yard and swooped away again to join those in the patrol of the area. Spurts of gunfire interrupted the peace of the Commonwealth. Maggie drew even with Elder Maxson and thumped a heavily armored fist across her chest. A series of shorthand scrolled up the screen of her helmet briefly in a private message. 

_If I don’t see you again, I love you. Let him know I loved him too, deeply._

She tilted her head in his direction and he gave the order to move in. 

It was an elaborate game of hide and seek. Maggie lost count of how many synths she mowed through, how numb her hands were from the roar of her weapon, how many times she ducked and bobbed along the corridors. She did not lose count of her Minutemen. One down, lost to the misfortune of a jammed cartridge and a narrow hallway. Four firing with military precision and navigating between concrete and waling tanks like it was an every day thing. One behind her at all times, too slow in his shots, a panicked roll in his eyes. The brother of their fallen companion. At times he ventured out in a fan as they hit a wide point, but usually he fell in behind her and she let him. She’d lost Arthur in the fray, another gut wrench. There was a room a few checkpoints back that she’d seen Proctor Quinlan on the ground with two Scribes trying to staunch the bleeding coming from his left leg. She dropped a few extra stimpacks and left them to it. The Minuteman behind her opted to stay and help. She could move faster now. 

And in a roaring hail of lasers and bullets it was over. Maggie stood on her own two feet to stare down at the man behind it all. Her limbs trembled, and vaguely she was aware that tears streaked her cheeks, not that there was any emotion to attach them to other than sheer exhaustion. She knelt beside Father and reached into his pocket where she knew he kept a picture, old, far faded with time, but intact. Nate grinned up at her, arm around a woman she barely recognized anymore. His other hand sheltered her swollen belly. Maggie dragged the back of her hand across her eyes as she stared down at him. 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered as she brushed his hand. “We weren’t meant to be here. Your father loved you, and I loved you…before…before everything. We were meant to be a family.” Footsteps crunched across the floor littered with glass and plaster. Arthur drew her upright again and she went unresisting to the next room, where she had left her armor. 

“Your men are safely out. We’re the last. It’s time to go.” 

“Yes Elder.” 

“And…Maggie…we found Danse among us when the fight was over.” She shut her armor on his last words and moved with purpose out of the room. After a moment there was the boom of armored steps behind her. They emerged into the sunlight, and she gave in to her urge to meet the cluster of bodies at a run. Halfway there she stopped to wrangle out of her power armor and tackled Danse with enough force to knock them both back. He sat down hard, Maggie still firmly in his arms. 

“Don’t you ever do that to me again!” She ordered through a sob that cracked her voice. “Don’t you ever leave me again I won’t survive it.” The situation finally caught up with her, and her head snapped up to the circle of faces around them. 

“Elder Maxson lifted the order for the fight,” a Scribe supplied with a weary smile. “He knew Paladin Danse couldn’t stay away- he saved our asses, Ma’am. Our Knight went down and a suit of armor with a familiar voice took over from the sidelines.” 

“He came back for his family,” another chimed in. 

“Loyal to a bloody fault,” a Knight agreed with some reluctance. When she looked back down at Danse, it was the soldier she’d fallen in love with, the man who’d been missing for some months now. They got to their feet and joined the march to get outside the blast radius. The Institute was to be sealed with a final blast. She made sure her Minutemen were aware of the fact, and ordered them home, though she knew they were all going to stay to stand witness. A firsthand account for ever settlement. No more kidnappings. No more invaders to threaten their livelihood. No more bogeyman. She linked fingers with Danse on the rooftop as they watched the bomb go off. A muted rumbling filled the air as a good portion of the ruins collapsed in on themselves completely, sealing away the last remnant of her past life. She rubbed her thumb over the picture in her pocket. And as victory whoops filled the air she pulled it out and handed it to him. 

“Keep it, destroy it. Do what you like,” she said, drawing him close. “She’s not me anymore.” Danse smiled at her words, but his eyes were on the picture. He carefully tucked it into an inner pocket before he looked up at her again.

“If I may be bold, Sentinel, I like this version much better,” he chuckled, and kissed her soundly. “Because this Magnolia is mine.” He ran the rough pad of his thumb down her profile, where it lingered on her lips. 

“Maggie!”

“Maggie.” Her correction was echoed in a different tone, and she looked up to see Arthur motion her over. She came, Danse at her side. “Sentinel Magnolia. Former Paladin Danse. I’d like to commend you both in your efforts today. I’ve made the decision, in light of these events…to pardon the former Paladin. He’s proved in spades that his loyalty is still just as strong as the day we knew him no differently from our Brothers and Sisters. And Sentinel, I offer you the option- the invitation- to stay with us. There will be no repercussions if you choose to leave, but understand that any choice you make is final. I would love to keep you on as a member of the Brotherhood. And I hope that you might reconsider being a friend.” 

Maggie looked between Arthur and Danse, who had a look of open wonder on his face. The rest of the Brotherhood members around them had gone silent as well, fixated on this point in time. 

“I would not want to stray from the Commonwealth-” 

“No. No, the Prydwen will depart only once we have learned everything there is to know about and from the Institute. That may take some time, years, perhaps, but when we do go should you choose to remain there will be a main outpost here, stationed at the airport.” 

“I suppose I’ll have to stay on then,” she relented. “For the Brotherhood.” Amid the cheering around them her gaze turned upwards, words nearly lost to the noise. “For you.”


End file.
